UC-NRLF 


Mb    flfiS 


• 


BY   ELIZABETH    KNIGHT  TOMPKINS. 


HER    MAJESTY.       A    Romance    of    To-day.       Hudson 
Library.     i6mo,  paper,  socts.  ;  cloth,  $1.00. 

AN  UNLESSONED   GIKL.     A  Story  of  School  Life.     With 
frontispiece,  121110,  $1.25. 

THE  THINGS   THAT  COUNT.      Hudson  Library.      12010, 
paper,  socts.  ;  cloth,  $1.00. 

THE  BROKEN  RING.      Hudson    Library.      lamo,   paper, 
5octs. ;  cloth,  $1.00. 

TALKS  WITH  BARBARA.     i2mo,  $1.50. 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 
NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 


HER  MAJESTY 


A    ROMANCE   OF   TO-DAY 


BY 


ELIZABETH    KNIGHT   TOMPKINS 

AUTHOR  OF   "  AN    UNLESSONED 
GIRL,"     ETC. 


G.  P.   PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NEW    YORK  LONDON 

27  West  Twenty-third  Street  24  Bedford  Street,  Strand 

Ube  "fonicfcerbocfcer  press 
1900 


COPYRIGHT,  1895 

BY 
G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London 


Ube  TRnicfceibocfeer  press,  -flew 


CONTENTS. 


I. — "KINGS  MUST  PLAY  A  WEARY  PART".        .  i 

II. — "WALKED  SIMPLY  CLAD,  A  QUEEN  OF  HIGH 

ROMANCES"         ......  26 

III. — FOR  THE  THIRD  TIME    .                 ...  52 

IV. — IN  THE  PARK   ...  72 

V. — A  NARROW  ESCAPE 99 

VI. — A  ROYAL  AUDIENCE         .        .        .        .        .113 

VII. — AT  ELMENDORF  CASTLE 135 

VIII.— A  RED-LETTER  DAY        .                                  .  151 

IX.— "THRONES  MUST  RING  IN  WILD  ALARMS"  .  174 

X. — THE  END  OF  THE  BEGINNING  201 


iii 

360447 


HER    MAJESTY 


CHAPTER    I. 

"KINGS    MUST   PLAY   A  WEARY    PART." 

QUEEN  HONORIAtook  off  her  ermine 
robes  and  hung  them  up  in  the  ward 
robe.  Her  golden  crown  she  placed 
neatly  on  the  shelf  above.  At  least,  that  was 
what  one  would  have  expected  a  Queen  Honoria 
to  do  on  retiring  to  her  boudoir  after  a  royal  au 
dience  in  the  throne  room.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
she  had  n't  any  ermine  robes  on,  only  a  morning 
gown  of  the  latest  Parisian  make  ;  a  quantity  of 
dark,  wavy  hair  took  the  place  of  a  crown  ;  and 
what  she  did  was  to  fling  herself  full  length  on  the 
window-seat  in  front  of  the  big  windows  over 
looking  the  park  and  give  a  sigh  of  relief.  One 
would  never  have  thought  of  her  being  a  Queen  : 
she  was  too  modern,  too  full  of  life.  She  might 
have  been  a  Gibson  girl, — the  tall,  broad-should- 


2*  ....       Her  Majesty. 

ered  kind  with  the  type  of  face  that  one  calls 
"almost  too  strong  to  be  pretty."  And  yet 
she  was  a  real  crowned  queen,  the  heir  of  a 
long  line  of  sovereigns,  not  just  the  queen  of  a 
household,  or  the  queen  of  a  heart,  or  the  kind 
of  queen  Ruskin  writes  of  in  Sesame  and  Lilies. 
One  would  never  have  thought  of  her  having 
the  stiff,  ugly  name  of  Honoria,  either ;  Helen 
would  have  suited  her  better,  or  Eleanor. 

"  Dear  me,  how  dreadfully  wearisome  they 
are !  "  exclaimed  Her  Majesty,  half  aloud  ; 
and,  indeed,  they  were  wearisome,  those  long 
audiences  with  a  Prime  Minister  who  consid 
ered  statesmanship  and  chicanery  synonymous, 
and  prided  himself  on  keeping  his  royal  mistress 
ignorant  of  the  true  purport  of  the  measures 
which  she  sanctioned.  To-day  he  had  begun  by 
advising  that  Her  Majesty  show  herself  to  her 
people  a  little  more,  that  she  drive  around  the 
streets  and  public  parks  and  attend  the  theatres. 
There  was  some  political  discontent  abroad ; 
demagogues  were  getting  hold  of  the  people's 
ears,  but  the  sight  of  the  Queen  would  doubt 
less  be  enough  to  put  an  end  to  that.  The 
Baron  made  the  suggestion  as  if  it  were  the 
first  time  the  subject  had  been  brought  up  be- 


"Kings  Must  Ploy  a  Weary  Part"       3 

tween  them.  It  was  part  of  his  policy  to  ignore 
past  defeats.  Now  one  of  Queen  Honoria's 
most  objectionable  characteristics,  in  the  eyes 
of  her  Prime  Minister,  was  an  inability,  or  an 
unwillingness,  to  carry  out  her  part  of  these  little 
pretences ;  accordingly,  she  silenced  him  with  a 
— "  Please  do  not  bring  that  up  again,  Baron 
Hausman.  I  tell  you  finally  that  I  will  not  ap 
pear  in  public.  I  should  feel  altogether  too  flat, 
trailing  around  the  streets  with  four  horses,  as 
if  I  were  the  leading  lady  in  a  circus,  with 
claquers  throwing  up  their  hats  and  shouting 
*  God  Save  the  Queen ! '  in  front,  while  the  real 
people,  my  people,  are  scowling  silently  in  the 
background,  or  turning  their  heads  so  as  not  to 
see  me.  I  tried  it  once,  and  I  will  never  do  it 
again.  I  know  the  people  are  discontented, 
and  I  am  not  sure  but  that  they  have  a  right  to 
be."  Then  she  had  ended  by  an  impulsive 
little  appeal  out  of  the  depths  of  her  heart,  not 
that  she  thought  it  would  do  any  good,  but  be 
cause  she  could  not  help  it :  "  Why  need  we 
be  so  at  cross-purposes,  my  subjects  and  I? 
What  is  good  for  the  one  is  surely  good  for  the 
other.  Why  can  we  not  have  an  investigation, 
ask  them  for  a  specific  list  of  their  grievances, 


4  Her  Majesty. 

and  remedy  those  that  are  in  our  power?  If 
you  knew  how  unhappy  those  hungry  faces 
that  I  see  through  the  park  palings  make  me  ! 
It  is  positively  wicked,  spending  their  money, 
as  we  do,  in  banquets,  illuminations,  and  all 
that  sort  of  thing  that  give  no  one  an  atom  of 
enjoyment  !  I  have  protested  until  I  am  tired, 
and  shall  soon  begin  to  act  on  my  own  respon 
sibility.  The  court  expenses  must  be  cut  down. 
It  makes  me  ill  to  see  the  lavishness  and  waste 
on  all  sides  when  people  are  actually  starving 
not  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  Besides,  I  care 
for  my  people's  affection  more  than  for  their 
money."  The  Baron  gave  an  almost  imper 
ceptible  shrug  of  his  shoulders. 

"  Your  Majesty  is  young  and  has  been  here 
in  the  city  but  a  short  time,  while  I,  I  have  been 
Prime  Minister  twenty  years,  and  have  lived 
here  all  my  life.  Your  Majesty  must  not  think 
the  townspeople  like  the  ignorant  peasants. 
Consequently,  I  know  them  better  than  Your 
Maiesty  can  possibly  do ;  I  know  the  effect  of 
solendor  on  their  minds  ;  and  I  also  know  that 
if  vou  give  them  an  inch,  they  will  take  a  mile. 
Your  Majesty  may  be  sure  that  I  have  investi 
gated  thoroughly  all  their  complaints.  I  find 


"Kings  Miist  Play  a  Weary  Part"      5 

their  demands  preposterous ;  it  is  all  the  work 
of  demagogues,  who  have  their  own  ends  in  view, 
and  who  would  not  let  them  be  satisfied  until 
they  had  turned  the  country  into  a  Republic." 
The  Baron  expected  this  last  remark  to  be  an 
extinguisher  to  the  Queen's  desires  for  political 
reform.  He  did  not  at  all  object  to  frightening 
her  a  little,  she  was  altogether  too  independent. 
He  shot  a  sharp  glance  out  of  his  sharp  little 
eyes  at  her  face,  but  did  not  see  the  dismay 
there  that  he  expected  to  find.  He  almost  sat 
down  in  his  surprise  when  Her  Majesty  went  on  : 

"  Well,  perhaps  that  is  the  only  solution  of 
the  problem.  I  wish  to  study  up  the  whole 
question  myself.  I  am  tired  of  being  put  aside 
like  a  child  that  asks  unanswerable  questions. 
If  you  will  not  help  me  to  do  so,  I  can  find 
others  that  will.  I  have  been  given  a  great  trust, 
and  it  is  my  duty  to  fulfil  it.  The  welfare  of 
my  people  ought  to  be  more  important  than  my 
own.  Yes,  Baron  Hausman,  you  have  failed. 
You  made  one  great  mistake,  and  that  ruined 
you.  Mme.  Duvalet  was  not  the  governess  to 
choose  fora  Queen  whom  you  intended  to  be  a 
puppet  in  the  hands  of  her  ministers." 

"  Mme.  Duvalet !  "  exclaimed  the  Baron  in 
surprise.  The  Queen  laughed  aloud. 


6  Her  Majesty. 

"  Have  you  never  guessed  where  I  got  those 
'  ridiculous  '  ideas  of  mine  ?  Ah,  Baron,  you  are 
a  very  clever  man,  but  Mme.  Duvalet  was  clev 
erer.  You  never  even  suspected  that  her  opin 
ions  were  those  of  her  brother,  Prince  Palatsky, 
and  not  those  of  her  bigoted,  aristocratic  fam 
ily?"  The  Baron  gave  a  slight  start.  "  There 
is  no  reason  you  should  not  know  it  now  she  is 
dead,  poor  dear  woman.  Perhaps  it  will  make 
you  understand  me  a  little  better,  and  also  the 
uselessness  of  trying  to  make  me  swallow  your 
opinions  like  pills,  without  investigating  their 
contents.  Mme.  Duvalet  was  a  Nihilist,  whose 
one  mission  was  the  instilling  of  some  less  ante 
diluvian  ideas  into  the  head  of  a  poor  little  be 
nighted  princess.  She  was  never  allowed  to 
undertake  anything  else,  for  fear  of  casting  sus 
picion  on  her;  and  you  never  suspected  the 
intrigues  that  made  you  believe  her  your  choice 
and  persuaded  the  King  to  give  her  the  posi 
tion.  She  made  you  think  she  would  help  you 
to  make  me  as  utterly  orthodox  and  unoriginal 
as  my  uncle,  and  as  powerless  in  your  hands. 
When  she  came,  I  already  had  an  overwhelming 
idea  of  my  own  importance,  and  believed  im 
plicitly  in  the  divine  right  of  kings,  and  of  my- 


''Kings  Must  Play  a  Weary  Part."       7 

self  in  particular.  It  had  never  occurred  to  me 
that  I  had  any  duties  toward  my  people.  My 
dear  Baron,  your  hair  would  stand  on  end  if  you 
knew  the  books  she  gave  me  to  read."  The 
Baron's  hair  almost  stood  on  end  at  the  present 
moment.  He  was,  for  once,  taken  aback,  and 
had  n't  a  word  to  say. 

"  To  think  I  never  suspected  it,"  he  mur 
mured.  Then  went  on :  "  Your  Majesty  has 
given  me  a  great  surprise.  Mme.  Duvalet  a 
Nihilist ! " 

"  Yes,  and  a  most  ardent  one.  What  she  be 
lieved  in  was  the  divine  right  of  the  people. 
Sometime  I  will  tell  you  a  few  of  her  ideas. 
They  will  astonish  you.  I  am  tired  now.  Is 
there  anything  else  you  must  consult  me 
about?"  If  the  Baron  had  not  been  so  utterly 
confounded  by  the  news  he  had  just  heard,  he 
would  not  have  chosen  this  moment  to  bring 
up  the  next  subject  on  his  list ;  but  his  usual 
diplomacy  had  left  him. 

"  I  wished  to  speak  about  Your  Majesty's 
marriage,"  he  began  hesitatingly. 

"Well,"  said  Her  Majesty,  "what  about  it?" 
The  Baron  had  meant  to  urge  that  the  festivi 
ties  and  good  wishes  attendant  on  a  royal  mar- 


8  Her  Majesty. 

riage  would  do  a  great  deal  to  turn  the  people's 
attention  from  their  imaginary  grievances ;  but 
the  Queen  had  taken  this  argument  out  of  his 
mouth,  so  all  that  he  could  do  was  to  utter  a 
few  platitudes  about  the  duty  of  securing  the 
succession  and  strengthening  the  Kingdom  by 
a  strong  political  alliance. 

"Who  is  it  now?"  asked  Her  Majesty  in  hei 
most  unpromising  manner. 

''Your  Majesty  may  remember  Prince  Louis 
of  Darmstadt  who  was  present  at  Your  Majes 
ty's  coronation  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  remember  him  perfectly.  Was  it  to 
him  that  you  proposed  to  offer  me  ?  " 

"If  Your  Majesty  chooses  to  put  it  that 
way." 

"  Do  you  know  that  he  has  a  choice  collec 
tion  of  relatives  in  straight  jackets,  and  is  a  fit 
subject  for  one  himself?"  demanded  Her 
Majesty. 

"  Only  his  sister  and  his  uncle,"  faltered  the 
Baron,  feeling  himself  somewhat  in  awe  of  this 
strong-minded  young  woman.  The  Queen 
laughed  a  little  bitterly. 

"  A  good  way  to  secure  the  succession  !  "  she 
said. 


"Kings  Must  Play  a  Weary  Part''      9 

"  Such  things  are  not  necessarily  hereditary. 
Indeed  there  is  a  great  divergence  of  medical 
opinion  on  this  point,"  the  Baron  was  beginning, 
when  Honoria  interrupted  him  with  a  laugh. 

"  It  's  not  an  atom  of  use,  Baron.  You  might 
as  well  spare  your  breath  ;  and  please  see  that 
the  next  husband  you  pick  out  for  me  has  a 
forehead  and  a  chin  as  well  as  a  sound  mind. 
How  little  you  statesmen  think  of  us  Royalties 
that  you  sacrifice  us  as  you  do.  To  tell  the 
truth,  kings  and  queens  are  anachronisms,  and 
it  is  hard  to  adjust  the  ideas  of  this  age  to  their 
use." 

"  Your  Majesty  means  to  consider  some  other 
marriage  then?  "  Baron  Hausman asked  insinua 
tingly. 

"  If  you  will  bring  me  a  man,"  the  Queen 
answered  with  a  scornful  emphasis  on  the  last 
word.  The  Baron  smiled,  and  uttered  a  few 
inanities  about  the  loneliness  of  royalty  and  the 
need  of  love  and  companionship  that  even 
queens  must  feel.  These  remarks  angered  Her 
Majesty,  simply  because  they  were  so  true ; 
and  she  did  not  like  to  have  Baron  Hausman 
touch  her  most  sacred  sorrow,  dropping  sound 
ing  lines  into  the  depths  of  her  heart,  with  a 


io  Her  Majesty. 

view  to  making  a  chart  of  it  for  future  use. 
Accordingly,  she  said  contemptuously  : 

"And  it  would  make  a  queen  less  lonely  to 
have  a  husband  of  another's  choosing  !  If  mere 
companionship  were  the  antidote  to  loneliness, 
we  queens  ought  not  to  suffer  from  it,  for  we 
certainly  enjoy  less  of  our  own  society  than  any 
other  class  of  people." 

"  But  Your  Majesty  will  consider  the  ques 
tion?"  the  Baron  persisted.  A  quick  gleam  of 
intelligence,  or  fun,  came  into  the  Queen's  eyes, 
and  she  turned  away  her  head  to  hide  it. 

"  Yes,  I  will  consider  it,  if  you  will  let  me  go 
to  the  convent  for  a  fortnight,  and  have  that 
time  to  myself  to  consider  it  in  ?  " 

"  If  I  will  let  Your  Majesty  !  "  Hausman  ex 
claimed  in  a  surprised  tone. 

"Oh,  I  know  I  am  nominally  your  mistress; 
but  you  remind  me  of  a  darkey  coachman  I  was 
reading  about  in  a  story  the  other  day.  When 
ever  the  family  he  lived  with  wanted  the  car 
riage,  they  had  to  give  old  Pomp  a  small  piece 
of  money,  or  else  something  was  sure  to  be  the 
matter  so  they  could  n't  have  it, — either  one  of 
the  horses  was  lame  or  wanted  shoeing,  or  some 
thing.  Please  may  I  go  ?  I  will  promise  you  to 


"Kings  Must  Play  a  Weary  Part"      1 1 

think  a  great  deal  about  the  subject  of  getting 
married.  It  is  one  that  has  some  slight  interest 
for  me." 

"  I  should  think  a  fortnight's  retirement  for 
religious  meditation  and  rest  from  the  duties  of 
State  would  be  a  most  excellent  thing  for  Your 
Majesty.  When  does  Your  Majesty  purpose  to 
go?" 

"  I  don't  see  why  I  should  n't  go  this  after 
noon.  There  are  no  special  functions  on  hand, 
and  there  is  nothing  else  you  wanted  to  see  me 
about,  is  there?" 

"  Only  to  ask  if  Your  Majesty  has  considered 
having  some  new  photographs  taken  for  general 
circulation.  The  shopkeepers  are  constantly 
complaining  that  they  have  only  the  coronation 
one." 

"  I  don't  believe  there  is  any  great  demand, 
and  that  ought  to  satisfy  them,  anyway.  It  is  a 
very  good-looking  picture,  so  what  does  it  mat 
ter  if  one  would  never  know  it  was  I  ?  No, 
Baron  ;  I  don't  want  to  at  present.  When  I 
have  done  something  for  the  people  will  be 
time  enough.  I  suppose  there  is  no  danger  of 
their  doing  anything  rash  in  the  next  fort 
night  ?  " 


1 2  Her  Majesty. 

"  Certainly  not.  They  have  got  anew  leader, 
a  young  fellow  named  Hiller,  but  I  think  we 
can  manage  him."  The  Baron  smiled  as  he 
said  this. 

"You  mean?"  asked  Her  Majesty. 

"  Only  that  I  fancy  he  is  amenable  to  reason, 
—like  the  rest  of  us.  They  say  he  can  do  any 
thing  he  likes  with  the  workingmen,  and  he  may 
be  induced  to  help  us."  The  Queen  sighed. 

"  What  a  cynic  and  unbeliever  generally  you 
are,  Baron  !  I  wonder  if,  by  any  possibility, 
you  can  be  right.  I  wish  it  were  n't  vulgar  for 
a  queen  to  bet,  for  I  should  like  to  lay  a  small 
wager  with  you  about  this  Hiller.  Of  course, 
I  don't  know  anything  about  him,  except  what 
I  read  in  the  only  paper  you  allow  me  to  see ; 
but  that  I  liked.  Do  you  know,  I  don't  wish  to 
appear  conceited,  but  I  am  sure  I  have  not  a 
price  for  anything  I  should  consider  it  wrong 
to  do?" 

"  Oh,  but  one's  opinions  as  to  what  is  right 
and  what  wrong,  change  under  judicious  manip 
ulation,"  murmured  the  Baron.  The  Queen 
sighed  again. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  I  shall  be  glad  to  get  away 
from  all  these  perplexities  for  a  little  ;  and,  as 


"Kings  Must  Play  a  Weary  Part"       13 

you  hinted,  my  piety  will  make  a  good  impres 
sion.  I  shall  be  under  the  direct  influence  of 
the  Mother  Superior  and  my  worthy  Father 
Confessor,  and  perhaps  that  may  have  some 
beneficial  effect  on  my  character."  The  Baron 
crossed  himself.  The  Baron  was  pious. 

"  My  prayers  shall  attend  Your  Majesty,  as 
always,"  he  said,  bowing  himself  out  of  the 
room,  at  a  sign  from  the  Queen. 

It  was  of  this  interview  that  Queen  Honoria 
thought,  as  she  lay  on  the  window-seat,  and 
looked  out,  across  a  little  strip  of  lawn,  into 
the  beautiful  park,  where  chestnuts,  oaks,  and 
beeches  were  clothing  themselves  in  their  new 
spring  garments,  and  turf  and  bracken  were 
springing  up  underfoot  for  the  deer  to  graze. 
She  was  congratulating  herself  on  giving  what 
one  of  her  subjects  might  have  called  a  piece  of 
her  mind  to  the  Baron.  Although  she  had  been 
coming  to  it  by  degrees  ever  since  her  accession, 
it  was  the  first  time  she  had  ever  entirely  cast 
off  restraint  and  told  him  freely  and  frankly 
what  she  thought  of  affairs  in  general  and  of 
himself  in  particular.  It  was  not  prudent,  per 
haps,  but  she  could  not  help  it.  The  thought 
of  the  Baron's  dismay  at  finding  what  a  Tartar 


14  Her  Majesty. 

he  had  caught  was  amusing.  As  she  went  over 
the  scene  to  herself,  the  sad  expression  left  her 
face,  and  something  that  was  almost  fun  took 
the  place  of  it.  She  jumped  up,  gave  a  little 
pirouette  on  the  ends  of  her  toes,  just  as  if  she 
had  n't  been  a  queen  at  all,  and  almost  ran 
across  the  room  into  her  bedchamber  beyond, 
humming  a  verse  of  a  squib  that  had  appeared 
in  one  of  the  papers  a  short  time  before,  and 
had  been  a  source  of  great  amusement  to  Her 
Majesty.  It  had  been  respectfully  dedicated  to 
Baron  II sm — n  : 

"  You  may  think  it  's  fun 
A  kingdom  to  run, 

With  a  girl  at  the  head  it  's  the  deuce. 
You  may  argue  a  case 
Till  you're  black  in  the  face, 
But  it  is  n't  an  atom  of  use." 

She  had  quoted  from  it  in  her  interview  with 
the  Baron,  and  had  seen  a  conscious  look  come 
over  his  face  as  he  recognized  it. 

An  hour  or  two  later  a  close  carriage  drew 
up  in  front  of  the  gates  of  the  convent,  lying 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  just  out  of  which 
the  Royal  Palace  was  situated.  A  woman 


"Kings  Must  Play  a  Weary  Part"       15 

thickly  veiled  alighted,  rang  the  bell  and  was 
admitted  by  a  nun.  The  carriage  drove  away. 

"  I  wish  to  see  the  Mother  Superior,"  she 
said  so  authoritatively  that  Sister  Agatha  did 
not  dare  mention  that  it  was  not  the  Mother 
Superior's  hour  for  receiving  visitors,  but 
showed  her  into  a  narrow  white-washed 
parlor. 

When  the  Mother  Superior  entered  the  room, 
her  visitor  threw  back  her  veil, 

"  Your  Majesty  !  "  exclaimed  the  former,  in 
surprise. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Queen.  "  I  have  come  to 
stay  that  fortnight  I  promised  you.  You  re 
member  the  conditions,  Reverend  Mother?" 
The  Mother  Superior  flushed  a  little. 

"  I  do  not  know  what  to  do,  Your  Majesty. 
I  dare  not  allow  it." 

"  And  you  don't  dare  not  allow  it,"  added 
the  Queen,  with  a  smile. 

"If  Your  Majesty  would  let  me  consult 
Father  Lalande." 

"Where  is  he?" 

"  As  it  happens,  he  is  here  in  the  chapel,  con 
fessing  some  of  the  sisters.  I  will  go  for  him 
immediately." 


1 6  Her  Majesty. 

"Do  so,"  said  Her  Majesty.  The  Mother 
Superior  backed  ceremoniously  out  of  the  room 
and  returned  in  about  five  minutes,  followed  by 
a  tall,  thin,  ascetic-looking  man — Father  La- 
lande,  Confessor  to  Her  Majesty  the  Queen. 

"Our  Mother  has  told  you?"  asked  the 
Queen,  when  she  had  graciously  accepted  his 
salutation.  Father  Lalande  gave  a  little  cough 
before  he  answered. 

"  I  am  afraid  it  is  impossible,  Your  Majesty. 
We  could  not  accept  the  responsibility."  He 
was  about  to  say  something  more,  but  the 
Queen  interrupted  him. 

"  You  know  the  alternative,"  she  said  imperi 
ously.  "  Either  you  let  me  have  the  garden 
rooms  in  the  wing,  and — la  clef  dcs  champs,  with 
out  attendance  or  supervision  of  any  sort,  or 
else — you  know  what  will  follow."  The  priest 
and  the  Mother  Superior  exchanged  a  glance  of 
deep  meaning.  When  Her  Majesty  paused,  the 
latter  remarked  calmly : 

"  Shall  I  show  Your  Majesty  to  her  rooms? 
Fortunately  they  happen  to  be  vacant.  When 
will  Your  Majesty's  attendants  arrive?  " 

"  My  old  nurse  will  be  here  directly  and  my 
little  dog  Sunny,  they  are  all  my  suite.  Sunny 


"Kings  Must  Play  a  Weary  Part!'      1 7 

is  as  good  as  a  policeman's  rattle  in  case  any 
strangers  should  prowl  around  my  rooms." 

As  she  left  the  room,  the  Queen  smiled  gra 
ciously  over  her  shoulder  at  Father  Lalande. 

"  We  are  friends  in  everything  else,  are  we 
not,  Father?  You  don't  bear  malice  for  this? 
It  is  a  necessary  piece  of  intimidation."  The 
priest's  face  lit  up  with  an  answering  smile. 

"  Ah,  Your  Majesty,"  was  all  he  said.  Then 
Queen  Honoria  stopped  in  the  doorway  and 
added,  addressing  the  Mother  Superior  without 
and  the  priest  within  : 

"  I  think  I  do  not  need  to  tell  you  that  I  am 
a  self-respecting  woman  as  well  as  a  queen.  I 
am  not  even  a  romantic  one.  My  only  motive 
is  a  desire  to  know  my  people  better.  I  am 
kept  so  far  away  from  them  that  nothing  can 
get  to  my  ears.  Now,  Reverend  Mother." 

"  The  little-side  garden  shall  be  reserved  for 
Your  Majesty's  use,"  said  the  Mother  Superior, 
as  they  crossed  the  beautiful  old  garden  to  the 
wing  in  which  the  Queen's  apartments  were 
situated.  "  The  children  play  here,  but  I  do 
not  believe  their  noise  will  reach  Your  Majesty." 

"  I  hope  it  will,"  said  Honoria,  heartily.  "  I 
long  to  hear  them.  You  do  not  care  if  I  talk 


1 8  Her  Majesty. 

to  them  and  make  friends  with  them,  do  you, 
Mother?  If  they  will  let  me,"  she  added,  a 
little  sadly. 

"  It  will  be  something  for  them  to  remember 
all  their  days  and  to  tell  their  grandchildren 
about.  I  often  tell  them  of  the  weeks  Your 
Majesty  spent  with  us  when  you  were  a  child. 
They  are  always  asking  to  hear  about  the  par 
rot  that  took  such  a  fancy  to  Your  Majesty, 
that  Your  Majesty  used  to  drag  around  on  a 
broom." 

"  I  don't  believe  you  tell  them  all  about  it," 
ventured  the  Queen,  with  a  smile.  The  Mother 
Superior  smiled  too. 

"  I  use  a  little  judicious  reticence,"  she 
admitted. 

"  Oh,  those  judicious  reticences!  The  same 
old  subject  for  argument!  If  I  could  only 
make  you  see  that  they  were  n't  necessary,  you 
and  Father  Lalande.  I  have  been  fond  of  you 
both  all  my  life,  and  we  could  be  such  good 
friends  if  it  were  not  for  these  same  little  reti 
cences.  Baron  Hausman  is  another,  but  I 
don't  mind  in  his  case.  I  never  could  have 
either  liked  or  respected  him." 

"Your  Majesty   does   not   understand,"  said 


"Kings  Must  Play  a  Weary  Part."      19 

the  Mother  Superior,  attempting  no  further 
argument.  They  were  walking  slowly  down 
the  little  side  garden  under  a  walk  of  blossom 
ing  pear  trees.  "  Will  Your  Majesty  allow  me 
to  say  something  I  have  on  my  mind  ?  "  she 
asked,  as  they  came  to  the  foot  of  this. 

"  Anything  you  wish,  Mother." 

"  Would  it  not  be  advisable  to  conciliate  the 
Baron  a  little  more?  He  is  very  powerful,  and 
makes  a  most  bitter  enemy." 

"Would  you  have  me  afraid  of  him  ?  "  Queen 
lionoria  demanded,  with  scorn  in  her  voice. 
"  No !  The  first  thing  Mme.  Duvalet  taught 
me  was  that  a  queen  should  fear  nothing  in 
heaven  or  earth  in  doing  what  she  thinks  to 
be  right." 

"  But  there  is  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of  in 
using  a  little  tact." 

"  No.  I  suppose  you  are  right.  It  would 
be  a  great  deal  wiser.  But  I  do  get  so  tired  of 
trickery  and  of  nobody's  being  above  board 
and  honest,  and  of  everybody's  suspecting 
everybody  else,  that  I  sometimes  can't  stand  it 
any  longer.  I  was  very  foolish  to-day  in  some 
things  I  said  to  the  Baron,  but  I  did  enjoy  it 
so.  I  told  him  about  Mme.  Duvalet,  among 


2O  Her  Majesty  the  Queen. 

other  things."  Here  the  Queen  laughed  a 
little  to  herself. 

"  But  Mme.  Duvalet  herself  acted  a  part," 
the  Mother  Superior  suggested.  Honoria's 
face  fell,  and  it  was  several  seconds  before  she 
answered : 

"  I  know  she  did,  and  it  has  always  troubled 
me.  If  it  is  ever  right  to  do  evil  that  good 
may  come,  it  seems  as  if  it  must  be  always 
right.  The  question,  in  my  mind,  is  in  how  far 
it  is  fair  to  fight  tyranny,  falsehood,  and  deceit 
with  their  own  weapons.  I  have  thought  about 
it  until  I  am  tired,  and  I  cannot  come  to  any 
satisfactory  conclusion." 

"If  Your  Majesty  would  consult  Father 
Lalande,"  the  Reverend  Mother  insinuated. 
Honoria  laughed  again. 

"  Consult  a  Jesuit  as  to  whether  the  means 
justifies  the  end  !  " 

Her  companion  made  no  answer,  but  un 
locked  a  door  in  front  of  which  they  had  been 
standing,  and  threw  it  back  for  the  Queen  to 
enter. 

"Ah,  the  same  old  rooms !"  the  latter  ex 
claimed.  "  I  remember  them  perfectly.  I  am 
so  glad  to  get  back.  There  is  such  an  air  of 


"Kings  Must  Play  a  Weary  Part."      21 

peace  and  tranquillity.  I  do  not  see  a  single 
change,  but  Nanon  will  have  a  great  many  to 
point  out  to  me,  I  am  sure.  Her  old  eyes  are 
as  observing  as  ever,  and  she  is  delighted  at  the 
chance  of  having  me  to  herself  for  a  couple 
of  weeks.  She  does  not  like  my  fine  maids 
and  my  ladies-in-waiting  any  better  than  I  do." 

"  Your  Majesty  does  not  enjoy  her  state  ?  " 

"  No  ;  I  can't  bear  it  !  At  least,  to  be  quite 
honest,  I  hate  it  with  one  part  of  me,  and  en 
joy  it  with  another.  The  girlish,  frivolous  side 
of  me  likes  it.  I  sometimes  feel  a  very  big 
lady  as  I  trail  into  the  drawing-room  or  the 
banquet  hall  with  my  suite  following  me.  I  'd 
give  it  up,  though,  Mother,  if  I  could  find — 
something  better." 

"Ah,  the  glory  of  this  world  passeth  away," 
said  the  Mother  Superior,  piously. 

"  I  suppose  it  would  be  a  mixed  metaphor  to 
add,  '  and  leaves  a  bad  taste  in  your  mouth,'  " 
the  Queen  remarked.  Her  companion  did  not 
know  what  a  mixed  metaphor  was,  so  she  did 
not  reply,  and  Her  Majesty  went  on  to  say : 

"  Do  not  let  me  keep  you,  Reverend  Mother. 
I  shall  not  mind  being  alone.  In  fact,  that  is 
what  I  have  come  for.  Besides,  Nanon  will  be 


22  Her  Majesty. 

here  before  long,  and  there  is  not  much  oppor 
tunity  for  meditation  where  she  is.  I  shall 
have  to  limit  her  to  so  many  remarks  a  day  if 
I  am  to  have  any  peace.  She  is  not  a  bit 
afraid  of  me  now  that  I  am  a  queen.  She 
orders  me  around  and  scolds  me  just  as  she  did 
when  I  was  an  insignificant  little  princess.  In 
fact,  I  am  not  sure  but  that  I  am  a  little  afraid 
of  her." 

After  the  Mother  Superior  left  her,  Honoria 
walked  up  and  down  the  small  garden  that  was 
separated  from  the  big  one  by  a  stone  wall. 
She  had  just  seated  herself  on  a  garden  bench, 
under  a  snowy  pear  tree,  when  the  door  in  the 
wall  opened,  and  a  stout  elderly  woman  ap 
peared,  accompanied  by  a  little  white  cyclone, 
which  precipitated  itself  on  the  Queen,  licking 
her  hands  and  face,  and  chewing  her  fingers  in 
the  exuberance  of  joyful  surprise. 

"  Ah,  Sunny,  you  are  no  respecter  of  per 
sons,"  said  Her  Majesty,  when  she  had  suc 
ceeded  in  extricating  herself  a  little.  "  Well, 
Nanon,  so  you  've  got  here?" 

"  Yes,  Your  Majesty,  and  a  hard  time  enough 
I  've  had  of  it,  too,  with  those  good-for-noth 
ing  girls,  or  fine  ladies,  I  suppose  I  ought  to 


"Kings  Must  Play  a  Weary  Part"      23 

call  them,  hinderin'  with  the  packing.  Glory 
be  to  goodness,  we  Ve  got  away  from  them  for 
a  little  while  !  "  The  Queen  laughed. 

"  You  look  warm.  Go  in  and  get  rested. 
These  first  spring  days,  delicious  as  they  are, 
are  very  trying.  Where  are  my  things  ?  " 

"  They  are  bringing  them  through  the  build 
ing,  madam.  There  they  are  now.  I  must 
run,  or  they  will  put  them  with  their  locks  to 
the  wall." 

"  Don't  unpack  until  you  get  cooled  off,  and 
then  get  one  of  the  lay  sisters  to  help  you,"  the 
Queen  called  out  after  her.  "  Well,  Sunny, 
is  n't  this  too  heavenly  for  words?"  she  said  to 
the  little  terrier,  who  had  subsided  into  her  lap. 
"  You  see  those  tall  trees  over  there  ?  Well, 
they  stand  in  a  beautiful,  beautiful  park,  more 
beautiful  than  ours  because  it  is  natural,  and 
left  more  to  itself ;  and  in  that  wall  is  a 
little  gate  and  in  my  pocket  is  a  key  to  that 
little  gate,  and  every  day  you  and  I  will  go  and 
take  a  walk  there,  and  we  won't  take  any  horrid 
old  ladies  in  waiting,  and  nobody  shall  know 
anything  about  it.  And  you  sha'n't  have  any 
cord  on,  but  just  tear  around  and  chase  birds 
and  rabbits  to  your  heart's  content.  And  you 


24  Her  Majesty. 

can  get  just  as  dirty  as  your  dirty  little  instincts 
move  you  to.  Is  n't  that  rather  a  nice  pros 
pect,  old  boy?  Your  mistress  has  pleasant 
recollections  of  that  park.  No,  don't  lick  your 
lips  in  that  suggestive  manner.  I  have  n't  any 
thing  for  you  to  eat,  and  would  n't  give  it  to 
you  if  I  had,  you  greedy,  mercenary  little  pig 
of  a  dogums." 

One  could  not  find  a  more  beautiful  spot 
than  the  convent  gardens.  Hundreds  of  years 
of  careful  cultivation,  added  to  a  considerable 
number  of  natural  advantages,  had  done  their 
best.  It  was  several  acres  in  extent,  with 
groups  of  forest  trees  alternating  with  sunny 
flower-beds  of  old-fashioned  flowers.  On  the 
extensive  walls  were  espaliered  apricots  and 
peaches,  which  otherwise  would  not  have  had 
time  to  ripen  in  the  short  northern  summer. 
A  large  portion  of  the  garden  was  given  up  to 
vegetables  and  small  fruits,  but  the  smaller  one 
where  the  Queen  sat  was  purely  a  flower  garden. 

Queen  Honoria  stayed  there  on  the  bench 
under  the  snowy  pear  tree,  stroking  Sunny's 
rotund  little  form,  and  drawing  his  smooth  silky 
ears  through  her  fingers,  until  the  sound  of  a 
bell  warned  her  that  it  was  the  evening  recrea- 


"Kings  Must  Play  a  Weary  Part!'       25 

tion  hour  for  the  pupils  of  the  convent. 
Presently  she  could  hear  voices  distinctly  from 
the  garden  beyond.  Her  Majesty  sighed  and 
waked  up  Sunny  to  say  to  him : 

"  It  's  dreadful  to  be  so  lonely,  Sunnykins  ; 
and  in  the  spring-time,  too.  Nobody  ought  to 
be  lonely  on  such  a  lovely  day  as  this  :  it  is  n't 
fair.  Well,  shall  we  go  and  see  if  we  can  make 
friends  with  the  owners  of  those  happy  voices? 
It  is  a  great  deal  better  for  us  than  sitting 
moping,  in  this  sentimental  fashion.  To  be 
sure,  I  did  promise  Baron  Hausman  I  would 
turn  my  thoughts  to  marriage." 

Here  Queen  Honoria  laughed,  tumbled  the 
injured  Sunny  out  of  her  lap,  and  walked  down 
the  path  and  through  the  gate  into  the  larger 
garden  beyond. 


CHAPTER    II. 

'  WALKED    SIMPLY   CLAD,    A   QUEEN    OF    HIGH 
ROMANCES." 

THAT  same  evening  at  half-past  seven 
o'clock  Her  Majesty  was  putting  the  fin 
ishing  touches  to  her  toilet  in  front  of 
the  six  by  eight-inch  mirror  that  was  the  only 
temptation  to  vanity  her  bedroom  gave.  Nanon 
was  standing  beside  her,  disapproval  in  every 
line  of  her  portly  person.  The  toilet  was  not 
striking, — merely  an  ill-fitting  gown  of  dark- 
blue  calico,  shoes  trodden  down  at  the  heel,  a 
faded  Scotch  plaid  shawl,  and  a  big  flapping 
sun-bonnet  of  checked  gingham. 

"  Well,  Nanon,  how  do  you  like  me  ?  "  the 
Queen  asked. 

"  If  Your  Majesty  wants  my  honest  opin 
ion — "  she  was  beginning  when  her  mistress 
interrupted  her  : 

"  About  my  dress,  Nanon,  nothing  else.     I 
know  very  well  what  your  other  opinions  are  ; 
and   if  you  were  not  such  an  old  coward,  I  'd 
make  you  go  with  me  and  chaperon  me." 
26 


"  Walked  Simply  Clad"  27 

"  /  certainly  am  not  foolhardy,"  Nanon  re 
marked,  meditatively. 

"  You  need  not  be  afraid.  Nobody  will  ever 
accuse  you  of  that.  You  can  thank  your  lucky 
stars  for  it  when  you  are  sleeping  peacefully  in 
your  comfortable  bed.  Otherwise  you  would  n't 
be  there." 

"  And  if  Your  Majesty  will  go,  I  'm  sure  I  'd 
rather  go,  too,  for  I  certainly  shall  not  sleep  a 
wink  thinking  of  the  baby  I  Ve  carried  in  my 
arms  so  many  times  a'  wandering  around  the 
cold  streets  in  the  dead  o'  night,  like  as  not  get 
ting  insulted  by  drunken  men."  The  Queen 
laughed  heartily. 

"  You  ridiculous  old  goose  !  "  she  exclaimed. 
"  That  baby  is  n't  wandering  around  the  streets, 
and  I  don't  believe  she  'd  be  insulted  by  drunken 
men  if  she  were.  You  can't  go  in  any  case, — 
not  if  I  were  the  baby  and  had  to  carry  myself 
in  consequence.  I  would  n't  be  bothered  with 
you  and  your  eternal  objections  to  anything  I 
want  to  do.  Besides,  I  'd  have  to  hire  a  police 
man  to  pilot  you  over  every  crossing,  and  that 
would  be  a  fine  way  to  escape  notice.  Nobody 
will  speak  to  such  a  fright  as  I  am.  Now,  will 
they?" 


28  Her  Majesty. 

"  If  Your  Majesty  wants  my  honest  opinion, 
I  'm  thinking  there  would  n't  be  any  danger 
except  from  a  man  with  a  cataract  in  both  eyes." 

"  You  certainly  are  no  courtier,  Nanon," 
laughed  the  Queen,  "  and  I  'm  heartily  glad 
of  it.  Well,  good-bye.  Hold  on  to  Sunny,  and 
expect  me  when  you  see  me.  Nothing  is  going 
to  happen  to  me.  You  are  to  believe  that.  I 
command  you  to.  Do  you  understand  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Madam,"  Nanon  replied  meekly,  wip 
ing  her  eyes  on  the  corner  of  her  apron,  there 
by  turning  Sunny,  whom  she  had  gathered  up 
under  one  arm,  upside  down.  Sunny  gave  a 
yelp  of  mingled  discomfort  and  rage  as  Her 
Majesty  disappeared  in  the  shadowy  garden 
outside. 

The  key  fitted  exactly  in  the  lock,  and  the 
small  gate  turned  smoothly  on  its  hinges,  as 
everything  about  the  convent  was  sure  to  do. 
Queen  Honoria's  heart  was  beating  fast  as  she 
stepped  out  into  the  lane  outside,  that  turned 
into  a  city  street  a  few  hundred  yards  further 
on.  It  was  the  first  time  in  all  her  royal  life 
that  she  had  been  alone  in  the  streets  by  her 
self.  She  had  never  even  set  foot  in  them  by 
night.  In  spite  of  her  resolutions  and  theories, 


"  Walked  Simply  Clad."  29 

her  heart  was  beating  appreciably  faster  as  she 
approached  the  broad  thoroughfare,  already 
lighted,  although  the  long  spring  twilight  had 
still  some  time  to  last.  She  had  a  definite  ob 
ject  in  view,  but  she  did  not  know  how  to 
attain  it.  Hiller,  the  young  agitator,  was  to  ad 
dress  a  workingmen's  meeting  at  Unity  Square. 
Where  this  was  she  did  not  know,  and  she  had 
not  dared  inquire  beforehand  for  fear  of  awak 
ening  suspicion.  She  had  thought  it  would  be 
easy  to  ask  someone,  but  every  person  in  the 
Saturday  evening  crowd  that  went  hurrying  by 
seemed  to  be  intent  on  his  own  business.  She 
was  afraid  of  being  rudely  repulsed,  so  she 
walked  on  and  on.  Presently  she  turned  into 
a  street  that  was  nearly  empty.  There  were 
steps  behind  her,  but  the  only  person  in  sight 
was  an  old  woman  with  a  market  basket,  some 
yards  in  front  of  her,  and  she  resolved  to  catch 
up  with  her  and  put  her  question  to  her.  Just 
before  she  reached  her,  she  noticed  that  the 
bottom  of  her  poor  old  basket  was  loose  and 
was  dropping  potatoes  out  on  the  street  behind 
her.  Honoria  started  forward  to  warn  her,  but 
before  she  could  do  so  a  man  appeared  from  be 
hind  her,  and  called  the  old  woman's  attention 


30  Her  Majesty. 

to  the  fact.  His  manner  was  kind  and  courte 
ous,  but  the  old  woman  preferred  to  lose  her 
potatoes  to  any  interference  from  outside  ;  for, 
after  swearing  vigorously  at  the  man,  she  turned 
down  a  cross  street  and  disappeared.  Honoria 
had  stopped  to  see  the  end  of  this  little  episode, 
and  now,  without  meaning  it,  she  laughed  aloud. 
The  man  turned  and  smiled  : 

"  It  was  funny,  was  n't  it  ?"  he  said  as  natur 
ally  as  if  they  had  been  friends  all  their  lives. 
"  Catch  me  telling  an  old  woman  she  is  losing 
her  potatoes  again." 

"And  so  the  many  have  to  suffer  for  the 
faults  of  the  few,"  said  Honoria.  Then  added  : 
"  I  was  just  going  to  do  it  myself,  and  I  wanted 
to  ask  her  the  way  to  Unity  Square,  too  ;  but 
it  is  just  as  well  I  did  n't."  The  man  looked 
at  her  curiously. 

"  I  am  going  there  myself,  to  the  working- 
man's  meeting,  and,  if  you  will  trust  me  to 
show  you  the  way,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to.  It 
would  be  hard  to  tell  you,  in  this  city  of  blind 
alleys  and  purposeless  streets.  I  have  no  way 
of  proving  to  you  that  I  am  a  reliable  guide," 
he  added.  Honoria  took  a  long  look  at  him 
before  she  added,  in  her  quietest  manner: 


"Walked Simply  Clad"  31 

"You  would  n't  have  told  the  old  woman 
about  the  potatoes  if  you  were  not  to  be 
trusted.  I  will  go  with  you." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  man,  putting  up  his 
hand  as  if  to  take  off  his  cap,  but  changing  his 
mind  and  letting  it  fall  again  before  he  did  it. 
"  You  think  I  would  have  picked  up  the  pota 
toes  and  carried  them  home  for  my  own  dinner 
if  I  had  not  been  a  respectable  citizen  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"Or  changed  them  for  a  glass  of  beer," 
Honoria  answered,  demurely,  keeping  her  eyes 
cast  down.  She  felt  a  strange  sense  of  exhilar 
ation  in  talking  to  this  unknown  man  alone 
out  in  the  city  at  night.  Perhaps  the  knowl 
edge  that  it  was  not  at  all  the  proper  thing  to 
do  added  to  the  feeling.  The  man  only  gave 
a  short  laugh  in  reply  to  her  last  speech.  Evi 
dently  he  was  not  going  to  presume. 

"  Is  it  far?  "  she  asked,  presently.  She  could 
not  lose  such  an  opportunity  as  this  of  talking 
to  a  real  workingman.  At  least,  he  was  dressed 
in  workingman's  clothes,  although  his  voice 
and  manner  were  those  of  a  gentleman.  Ho 
noria  wondered.  Perhaps  there  was  not  the  dif 
ference  between  the  educated  artisan  and  the 


32  Her  Majesty. 

gentleman  that  she  had  been  led  to  suppose. 
It  was  a  voice  as  refined  as  her  own  that  an 
swered  : 

11  It  is  quite  a  distance  yet.  You  are  not  go 
ing  to  the  meeting  ?  We  are  a  little  late  for 
that." 

"  Yes,  I  am.  Is  n't  it  all  right  ?  I  read  in 
the  paper  that  women  went.  I  am  anxious  to 
hear  what  this  Miller  has  to  say;  what  cure  for 
our  troubles  he  has  to  offer.  I  hope  wesha'  n't 
be  too  late  to  hear  him."  The  man  smiled  a 
smile  that  Honoria  did  not  understand  as  he 
answered  : 

"  Oh,  no  ;  we  shall  hear  him  fast  enough. 
He  is  the  last  speaker.  But  there  is  no  cure" 
he  added,  a  little  sadly.  "  All  we  can  hope  to 
find  arc  alleviations  and  remedies.  The  disease 
lies  too  deep  ;  it  is  in  the  essence  of  human 
nature." 

"You  are  interested  in  these  problems?" 
Honoria  asked,  a  little  timidly. 

"  They  are  the  greater  part  of  my  life." 

"  Then  do  you  hate  the  aristocracy  and  those 
who  have  more  than  you  ?  " 

"  Heaven  forbid  !  They  are  not  to  blame. 
There  will  always  be  those  that  feast  and  those 


"  Walked  Simply  Clad"  33 

that  starve  so  long  as  human  beings  are  turned 
out  on  the  present  pattern.  One  of  the  things 
we  hope  to  bring  about  is  a  better  feeling  be 
tween  the  two  classes." 

"  I  'm  so  glad  !  "  Honoria  exclaimed,  impul 
sively,  and  then  blushed  under  her  sunbonnet, 
as  the  young  man  asked,  a  trifle  curiously  : 

"  It  is  a  vital  matter  to  you,  then  ?  " 

"  Only  that  hatred  seems  so  narrow-minded 
to  me.  Of  course,  we  can't  help  having  per 
sonal  dislikes,  and  I  would  n't  if  we  could  ;  they 
give  so  much  more  flavor  to  our  likes.  But  class 
hatreds  and  race  prejudices  belong  to  small, 
provincial,  ignorant  minds."  The  man's  face 
lit  up  suddenly. 

"  So  you  think  that,  too  ?  "  he  said.  "  Nar 
row-mindedness  is  the  name  of  the  disease  I 
spoke  of  a  few  minutes  ago.  It  is  the  curse  of 
the  human  race.  If  we  could  make  people  look 
at  things  in  a  large  way,  the  millenium  would 
begin  here  on  earth  immediately.  There  would 
be  no  need  to  alter  a  condition  of  this  earthly 
existence  to  make  it  possible." 

"  It  would  be  cancelling  the  intruding,  dis 
concerting  personal  factor,"  said  Honoria,  and 
then  they  both  looked  at  each  other.  Their 


34  Her  Majesty. 

words  were  so  out  of  keeping  with  their 
appearances.  The  young  man's  face  lit  up 
again — a  trick  it  had.  Honoria  compared  it  to 
the  kindling  of  a  candle  in  the  Jack-o'-lantern 
one  of  her  pages  had  made  ;  and  then  she 
smiled  to  herself  at  her  simile.  The  clear-cut 
face  before  her  was  such  a  contrast  to  the 
grinning,  orange  mask  she  had  thought  of. 

"  So  you  realized  that,  too  !  "  he  exclaimed. 
"  I  have  believed  that  I  could  not  find  one  who 
did  among  all  the  human  souls  in  this  crowded, 
benighted  city.  You  have  encourage  me.  If 
there  is  one,  perhaps  there  are  others.  I  will 
believe  that  there  are.  If  I  only  knew  how  to 
discover  them  !  " 

"  Do  you  think,  even  with  hundreds  to  help 
you,  you  could  make  the  majority,  or  even  a 
small  minority,  accept  the  belief  that  it  is  in 
ward  not  outward  improvement  that  this  poor 
old  world  needs  ?"  The  light  died  out  of  the 
young  man's  eyes. 

"  No,"  he  said.  "  Honestly,  I  don't.  I  only 
like  to  dream  it  occasionally.  Nine  hundred 
and  ninety-nine  one  thousandths  of  the  people 
in  this  world  are  made  incapable  of  looking 
beyond  personal  grievances  and  personal 


' '  Walked  Simply  Clad. "  35 

interest  to  abstract  truth  and  justice,  and  noth 
ing  short  of  a  miracle  could  change  them." 

"  I  have  had  my  dreams,  too,"  Honoria  went 
on  ;  "  dreams  of  a  time  when  the  lion  will  lie 
down  with  the  lamb,  when  envy  and  small 
meannesses  and  jealousies,  and  dissimulation 
and  hypocrisy  will  no  longer  exist  ;  when 
universal  love  will  prevail." 

"  Don't  use  that  word — say  '  universal  good 
will/  "  the  young  man  said,  abruptly.  Honoria 
was  not  used  to  being  dictated  to  in  this 
manner,  and  she  drew  herself  up  a  little  proudly. 
"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  continued,  "  I  should 
not  have  spoken  so." 

"What  did  you  mean?  "she  asked,  a  little 
mollified.  Her  companion  hesitated. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  only  fair  to  tell  you  now, 
though  I  would  rather  not.  We  seemed  to  be 
so  much  in  sympathy  on  this  subject  that  I 
spoke  as  I  would  have  done  to  a  friend." 

"  You  need  not  tell  me  if  you  do  not  choose," 
said  Honoria. 

"  Ah,  but  I  must  now.  It  is  only  that  I  ob 
ject  to  the  stealing  of  the  word  love  to  describe 
a  feeling  of  kindliness,  of  charity  ;  it  is  a  dese 
cration."  Honoria  stared.  It  was  the  last 


36  Her  Majesty. 

thing  she  would  have  expected,  judging  from 
his  uplifted,  impersonal  manner. 

"  But  is  it  not  the  greater  of  the  two,  this 
feeling  toward  our  fellow-creatures  as  a  whole, 
and  has  it  not,  therefore,  a  right  to  the  best 
word  ?"  she  asked. 

"  The  greater  ?  Yes,  as  a  bird's-eye  view  of  a 
country  is  greater,  grander,  than  the  heart  of 
a  dense  forest,  or  a  little  piece  of  a  brook 
bordered  by  alders.  But  which  do  we  care 
most  about?  " 

"  I  suppose  tastes  differ,"  Honoria  answered. 

''Which  do  you  like  best?"  he  asked,  intro 
ducing  the  personal  element  into  the  conversa 
tion  for  the  first  time.  "  I  beg  your  pardon," 
he  went  on  quickly,  adding,  as  she  had  done : 
"  Don't  answer  if  you  don't  want  to." 

"  I  have  n't  the  slightest  objection  to  telling 
you  that  the  bird's-eye  view  is  too  grand,  too 
uplifted,  too  cold,  too  lonely  for  me." 

"  And  for  me,"  the  young  man  assented. 
"  And  though  love  of  humanity  is  a  great  and 
glorious  thing,  human  ties  and  affections  are 
needed  to  make  this  earth  tolerable.  I  can't 
imagine  any  scheme  of  life  being  endurable 
that  does  not  include  these.  But  here  we  are 


"  Walked  Simply  Clad"  3 7 

at  Unity  Square.  It  has  been  a  long  walk,  as  I 
told  you  it  would  be." 

"  What  a  crowd  of  people ! "  exclaimed 
Honoria.  "  One  could  get  lost  among  them." 

"  You  know  your  way  home  again  ?  "  asked 
her  guide. 

"Not  the  first  thing  about  it,"  she  admitted 
frankly.  "  I  was  too  busy  talking  to  you.  But 
I  suppose  any  one  can  tell  me  the  way  to  the 
North  Gate." 

"  I  will  come  for  you  and  take  you  there  my 
self,  if  you  will  allow  me  to.  It  is  my  way, 
too.  Suppose  you  meet  me  at  this  place  at— 
let  me  see —  He  took  out  his  watch,  a  gold 
watch  on  a  silver  chain.  A  little  gold  whistle 
of  a  curious  design  was  also  fastened  to  the  end 
of  the  chain.  Honoria  had  been  about  to  pro 
test.  She  did  not  wish  this  stranger  to  walk 
home  with  her,  and  had  determined  to  give  him 
the  slip  in  the  crowd  if  he  suggested  it.  Now, 
however,  she  gave  a  sudden  startled  look  at  him 
as  he  stood  with  the  electric  light  at  the  end  of 
the  square  falling  full  on  him,  for  something  she 
saw  made  her  change  her  mind.  Her  com 
panion  misunderstood  her  scrutiny. 

"  You  are  thinking  my  watch  is  too  handsome 


38  Her  Majesty. 

for  a  man  in  my  rank  of  life  ?  Well,  so  it  is ; 
but  it  was  a  present,  and  I  am  attached  to  it." 

"  No,"  Honoria  answered  ;  "  I  was  thinking 
I  had  seen  a  watch  like  that  before,  with  a  stag 
hunt  chased  on  the  back." 

"  I  don't  see  where  you  could  have.  My 
sister  drew  the  design  for  this  herself.  It  was 
the  last  thing  she  gave  me  before  she  died." 
He  added  this  last  in  an  undertone,  evidently 
forgetting  that  workingmen's  sisters  do  not 
usually  give  them  gold  watches  made  by  a 
special  design.  A  pleased  look  that  would 
have  been  a  smile  except  for  his  words  came 
into  Honoria's  face. 

"What  time  shall  I  meet  you?"  she  in 
quired,  "if  it  is  not  too  much  to  ask  of  you." 

"  Not  at  all.  It  is  my  way.  I  am  glad  to  be 
of  service,  and  doubly  glad  that  you  are  willing 
to  trust  me.  After  all,  I  do  n't  dare  set  a  time. 
I  will  be  here  directly  after  the  last  speech. 
There  is  only  one  more  after  this  fellow 
finishes." 

"  Is  that  Hiller?  I  hope  we  have  n't  missed 
him." 

"  No  ;  that  is  a  saddler  named  Baum.  Hiller 
speaks  next.  Well,  au  revoir  !  " 


"Walked Simply  Clad."  39 

In  a  second  he  was  lost  to  sight  in  the  mass 
of  human  beings  in  front  of  her.  Honoria 
moved  closer,  and  skirted  around  the  edge  of 
the  crowd,  hoping  to  find  a  place  where  she 
could  hear  better,  for  only  an  occasional  word 
of  the  speaker's  came  to  her  ears  where  she 
stood.  These  seemed  of  a  very  commonplace 
nature,  so  she  wondered  more  and  more  at 
the  cheers  that  kept  going  up  on  all  sides. 
Presently,  by  a  shifting  that  took  place  before 
her,  she  managed  to  slip  into  a  much  better 
position.  She  was  hemmed  in  and  jostled  by 
workingmen  in  the  roughest  of  clothes,  she, 
their  queen,  whose  royal  person  no  mortal  was 
privileged  to  profane  with  a  touch.  They,  her 
subjects,  did  not  even  turn  to  look  at  her  as 
she  stood  there,  in  her  poor,  respectable,  ugly 
garments.  There  was  an  occasional  woman 
throughout  the  crowd  to  keep  her  in  counte 
nance.  The  shouts  kept  on,  and  soon  she  saw 
the  occasion  of  them.  A  man  had  ascended 
the  platform  behind  the  speaker,  and  had  seated 
himself  on  one  of  the  wooden  chairs  there.  It 
was  he  whom  the  people  were  cheering.  Shouts 
of  "  Killer  !  "  "  Hiller  !  "  went  up  on  all  sides. 
The  orator  tried  to  go  on,  but  they  drowned 


40  Her  Majesty. 

his  voice.  He  turned  and  said  something  to 
the  man  behind  him,  and  then  sat  down  himself 
in  the  chair  the  latter  vacated.  It  had  taken 
only  one  glance — one  surprised,  startled  glance 
—for  Honoria  to  recognize  in  the  newcomer 
her  companion  of  the  evening.  A  quick  flush 
reddened  her  cheeks  under  her  sunbonnet. 
Her  heart  beat  faster,  and  she  felt  she  must 
have  air,  but  forgot  this  need  the  next  second, 
for  Hiller  began  to  speak.  It  was  the  same 
voice  she  had  been  listening  to,  but  so  clear 
and  distinct  and  forcible  that  its  character 
seemed  changed.  A  deadly  silence  fell  on  the 
crowd  as  he  stood  before  them. 

"  You  are  not  very  polite,  my  friends,"  he 
began.  Honoria  could  hear  every  syllable. 
"  Why  did  n't  you  give  Baum  a  show  to  finish  ? 
What  if  you  have  heard  him  a  few  more  times 
than  you  have  me?  I  suppose  to-morrow  I 
shall  have  to  give  way  to  some  later  comer,  no 
matter  how  eager  I  may  be  to  have  you  hear 
the  words  I  have  to  say  ?  "  He  paused,  and  a 
voice  from  the  crowd  called  out : 

"We  thought  ye  weren't  coming."  Hiller 
turned  and  addressed  the  speaker  directly. 

"  Did  n't  I  say  I  would,  Herman?    I  was  de- 


"  Walked  Simply  Clad"  4 1 

tained,  or  I  should  have  been  here  before.  I 
am  sorry  I  did  not  hear  Baum,  for,  although  we 
don't  always  agree,  he  often  suggests  my  best 
points  to  me.  I  am,  as  I  said,  a  newcomer,  but 
I  have  nothing  new  to  say  to  you,  only  some 
truths  as  old  as  the  hills.  What  I  am  hoping 
is  that  I  shall  put  them  in  a  little  newer  form, 
so  that  they  maybe  more  likely  to  attract  your 
attention  and  persuade  you  to  think  about 
them  a  little."  With  this  short  introduction, 
evidently  designed  to  soothe  the  wounded  van 
ity  of  his  colleague,  Hiller  plunged  into  his 
subject,  the  political  condition  of  the  country. 
It  was  so  bold  and  fearless  that  Honoria  shud 
dered  a  little  as  she  listened.  If  any  of  her, 
or,  to  be  more  accurate,  Baron  Hausman's 
emissaries  were  in  the  crowd,  and  they  doubt 
less  were,  they  would  not  allow  such  words  to 
go  unremarked  and  unpunished.  Hiller  could 
not  know  the  risk  he  ran.  She  would  warn 
him ;  for,  once  convicted  of  treasonable  pro 
ceedings,  she  might,  for  all  she  knew,  be  pow 
erless  to  save  him  from  banishment,  or,  perhaps, 
worse.  Besides,  how  could  she  espouse  warmly 
the  cause  of  this  handsome  young  agitator? 
At  first  he  spoke  of  the  excessive  taxation,  the 


42  Her  Majesty. 

corruption  in  the  law  courts,  the  oppression  of 
the  people  and  its  results  ;  and  every  man  was 
with  him,  as  was  shown  by  the  cheers  that  were 
with  difficulty  suppressed  on  all  sides.  Honoria 
was  disappointed.  His  speech,  true  as  it  was  in 
substance,  and  moderate  in  expression,  under 
stating  rather  than  overstating  the  facts  which 
even  she  had  recognized,  seemed,  as  Baron 
Hausman  had  said,  too  much  like  that  of  a 
demagogue  stirring  up  the  people.  No  true 
friend  of  theirs  would  have  emphasized  griev 
ances  that  they  were  evidently,  judging  from 
the  ejaculations  and  remarks  on  all  sides  of  her, 
only  too  well  aware  of.  How  did  he  dare  to 
rouse  a  people  too  ignorant  to  be  influenced  by 
justice  or  reason  ?  Presently,  however,  he  came 
to  a  full  stop.  Then  the  cheering  broke  forth 
uproariously.  He  waited  for  it  to  subside  be 
fore  he  went  on,  in  clearer,  more  impressive 
tones  than  before  : 

"  I  do  not  think  you  will  cheer  me  so  warmly 
when  I  finish  what  I  have  to  say.  Do  you 
know  what  my  motive  was  in  bringing  so  promi 
nently  before  you  the  oppression  under  which 
we  live  ?  It  was  to  show  you  that  the  words 
which  I  have  to  say  to  you  are  uttered  with  full 


"  Walked  Simply  Clad."  43 

realization  of  the  political  situation.  Why  are 
those  in  power  corrupt  and  merciless  ?  "  He 
paused  a  moment.  "  Because  you,  the  people, 
are  corrupt  and  merciless  yourselves.  Those 
above  you  grind  you  down,  but  do  you  not  in 
your  turn  grind  down  those  beneath  you  ?  Is 
there  a  man  among  you  who  buys  and  sells 
honestly  when  he  can  do  it  dishonestly  without 
being  found  out  ?  Those  of  you  who  are  land 
lords  in  a  small  way,  what  is  the  limit  to  the 
rent  you  charge  ?  I  say  it  is  the  limit  of  what 
you  can  get,  regardless  of  value.  Some  of  you 
are  money-lenders  with  your  small  savings.  Do 
you  ever  think  of  oppression  when  you  demand 
20,  30,  and  even  50  per  cent,  of  the  poor  day 
laborer,  whose  wife  and  children  are  ill  with  the 
fever  bred  by  the  unspeakable  nastiness  in 
which  you  live  ?  Have  you  a  right  to  hate 
with  a  bitter  hatred  all  who  are  above  your 
selves,  when  not  a  single  one  of  those  practices 
of  theirs  which  you  condemn  but  is  repeated  in 
accordance  with  your  opportunities  in  your  own 
lives  ?  You  have  your  clubs — are  the  officials  in 
those  so  honest  that  you  should  condemn  offi 
cials  in  positions  of  public  trust  ?  "  A  signifi 
cant  murmur  went  through  the  crowd.  "  Phy- 


44  Her  Majesty. 

sician,  heal  thyself  !  Do  you  think  that  injustice 
and  oppression  would  be  tolerated  one  short 
week,  if  public  spirit — the  public  spirit  that  is 
the  private  spirit  of  every  good  man's  heart- 
were  against  it  ?  Certainly  not.  I  repeat  it,— 
the  reason  why  the  government  is  so  corrupt  is 
because  you,  the  people,  condemn  corruption 
only  when  it  is  a  corruption  that  interferes  with 
your  own  greed  of  gain."  He  spoke  a  few 
minutes  longer  in  the  same  strain.  Honoria 
and  those  around  her  stood  spellbound,  amazed 
at  the  man's  boldness,  his  eloquence,  and  carried 
away  by  the  vehemence,  the  power,  the  charm 
of  this  young  workingman's  personality.  Not 
a  sound  was  heard.  The  people  hung  their 
heads  and  were  ashamed.  They  were  not  so 
debased  but  that  they  recognized  the  truth 
momentarily  when  it  was  put  before  them  in  so 
graphic  a  way.  When  Hiller  sat  down,  they 
cheered  him,  but  not  so  enthusiastically  as 
before. 

Honoria  waited  till  the  crowd  dispersed  a  lit 
tle,  then  walked  slowly  to  the  spot  where  she 
had  agreed  to  meet  Hiller.  She  saw  him  com 
ing  towards  her,  accompanied  by  several  work- 
ingmen,  to  whom  he  seemed  to  be  explaining 


"  Walked  Simply  Clad"  45 

something  ;  so,  making  sure  that  he  saw  her, 
she  moved  off  down  the  street  in  front  of  him. 
Presently  he  overtook  her,  having  got  rid  of  his 
friends,  and  walked  along  by  her  side  in  silence. 
Evidently  he  had  not  yet  come  down  from  the 
clouds.  Honoria  did  not  say  a  word  for  a  few 
minutes,  then  she  broke  out  impulsively  : 

"  I  do  not  see  how  you  dared.  I  don't  see 
how  they  took  it  as  they  did.  I  thought  they 
would  hiss  you,  or  stone  you,  or  something." 

"  They  did  not  because  I  have  gained  some 
personal  influence  over  them.  How  long  it 
will  last,  I  cannot  say.  By  to-morrow  they 
will  be  calling  it  abuse — not  truth.  If  I  could 
be  with  them  all  the  time,  I  might  make  some 
thing  of  them,  but,  as  it  is,  they  have  too  much 
time  in  between  times  for  reaction — for  their 
native  contemptibleness  to  come  to  the  surface." 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  believe  this  myself," 
Honoria  began  slowly.  "  I  am  only  asking  for 
information.  Would  it  not  be  better  to  go  at 
them  more  gently,  not  to  risk  your  influence  by 
such  sledge-hammer  methods  ?  " 

"  You  do  not  know  them.  They  are  so  low 
down,  so  besotted,  that  gentle  methods  have 
no  effect  on  them.  My  only  hope  is  in  the 


46  Her  Majesty. 

sledge-hammer,  and  even  that  is  a  very  faint 
one.  We  can  do  little  or  nothing  for  the  men 
and  women  ;  but  if  we  could  only  reach  the 
boys  and  girls  !  " 

"  How  could  that  be  done  ?  "  Honoria  asked. 

"  I  have  travelled  in  many  countries  and  seen 
many  ways.  We  could  have  Boys'  Clubs,  Set 
tlements  ;  but  where  are  the  people  to  run 
them  ?  The  middle  classes  are  uneducated, 
unenlightened,  fifty  years  behind  the  rest  of 
the  world.  The  aristocracy  are  absentees,  and 
would  consider  such  work  beneath  them  if 
they  were  here.  And  the  Queen —  "  Here 
he  shrugged  his  shoulders  slightly. 

"  What  about  her?  "  Honoria  asked  bravely. 

"  I  confess  I  had  hopes  of  her,  from  something 
I  knew  of  her  childhood,"  Hiller  said,  slowly. 
"  But,  no  doubt,  power  and  luxury  have  spoiled 
her,  as  they  do  the  rest  of  us.  She  is  evidently 
completely  under  old  Hausman's  thumb,  like 
her  uncle  before  her.  She  has  been  on  the 
throne  a  year  now,  and  not  one  single  measure 
has  she  taken  for  her  subjects'  relief;  and  yet  she 
must  know — she  is  not  blind  and  deaf  and  dumb 
— the  terrible  internal  condition  of  the  country." 

"  What  is   the   condition  of  the  country  ?  " 


"Walked Simply  Clad"  47 

Honoria  asked,  resolutely  putting  aside  a  desire 
to  justify  herself  until  she  should  have  learned 
more  of  that  which  she  had  come  out  to  learn. 
"You  said  much  that  was  new  to  me  to-night, 
but  some  of  it  I  did  not  understand,  not  being 
so  familiar  with  the  facts  as  the  rest  of  your 
audience.  Can  you  tell  me  in  general  terms  so 
that  I  shall  understand  ?  " 

"  The  treasury  is  nearly  bankrupt  ;  there  is 
danger  of  war  from  two  different  countries  ;  the 
people  are  on  the  verge  of  a  rebellion  ;  dema 
gogues  are  at  work  on  all  sides  ;  our  resources 
and  our  credit  are  exhausted  ;  the  men  in  posi 
tions  of  public  trust  are  corrupt  or  incapable — 
often  both  ;  the  only  justice  is  bought  ;  our  cur 
rency  is  debased  ;  our  army  is  a  farce  ;  it  is 
neither  officered,  equipped,  nor  armed  ;  and  at 
the  helm  we  have  an  ignorant  girl,  absorbed  in 
spending  money  on  court  festivities  and  selfishly 
indifferent  to  the  welfare  of  her  people." 

"  Perhaps  she  does  not  know  about  all  this," 
Honoria  suggested. 

"  We  have  sent  her  a  number  of  petitions, 
not  one  of  which  she  has  condescended  to  take 
the  slightest  notice  of." 

"  Perhaps  she  never  got  them." 


48  Her  Majesty. 

"  Oh,  she  must  have !  They  were  confided 
to  trustworthy  hands  to  deliver.  Still,  I  am  not 
blaming  her.  How  could  one  expect  her  to  be 
different,  considering  the  school  she  has  been 
brought  up  in  !  Governess  and  influences  of 
Hausman's  selection  are  not  calculated  to  make 
a  noble  or  an  unselfish  character.  I  do  not  be 
lieve  she  is  happy,  even  as  happiness  goes,  all 
the  same.  The  only  picture  I  have  ever  hap 
pened  to  see  of  her  did  not  look  so.  Poor  girl, 
I  pity  her,  and,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  she  has  a 
hard  future  before  her."  He  said  this  in  so 
sympathetic  a  tone  that  the  tears  came  into 
Honoria's  eyes.  Fortunately,  her  flapping  sun- 
bonnet  hid  them.  She  wished  she  could  tell 
her  companion  that  she  was  not  so  selfish  and 
indifferent  as  he  thought  her,  but  did  not  dare 
trust  her  voice  to  speak,  even  in  generalities. 
Neither  of  them  said  a  word  for  some  squares. 
Then  Honoria  bethought  herself  that  she  was 
wasting  a  valuable  opportunity. 

"  Mr.  Killer,"  she  began,  a  little  timidly. 
Hiller  did  not  reply  ;  and  she  was  just  getting 
up  courage  to  speak  to  him  again  when  he 
turned  his  head  toward  her  with  a  : 

"  I  beg  your  pardon.  Were  you  speaking  to 
me  ?  " 


"  Walked  Simply  Clad"  49 

"  I  said  '  Mr.  Hiller,'  '  she  replied.  To  her 
surprise,  she  saw  by  the  light  that  happened  to 
be  above  them  that  Hiller  flushed  slightly.  He 
did  not  say  anything,  however,  for  a  minute 
more,  then  he  broke  out  with  : 

"  I  Ve  got  to  tell  you.  I  cannot  stand  sail 
ing  under  false  colors  when  it  can  be  helped. 
My  name  is  n't  Hiller  at  all.  I  had  to  assume 
it,  with  the  greatest  reluctance,  because  the  one 
I  go  by  is,  for  a  certain  reason,  obnoxious  to 
the  people.  I  could  n't  work  against  that  dis 
advantage,  too.  I  don't  want  any  more  dis 
simulation  than  I  can  help,  though." 

"  Am  I  expected  to  ask  what  your  name  is  ?  " 
Honoria  inquired.  The  young  man  flushed 
again. 

"  I  don't  think  I  will  tell  you  that."  Honoria 
blushed,  too. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  she  said.  "  I  thought, 
perhaps,  you  expected  me  to  ask ;  and  because 
it  is  awkward  not  having  anything  to  address  a 
person  by.  '  Say '  is  n't  very  satisfactory. 
Still,  I  don't  really  need  a  name,  for  we  have 
only  a  few  squares  more,  and  we  shall  probably 
never  see  each  other  again." 

"  I  should  hate  to  think  that,"  said  her  com 
panion,  so  respectfully  that  she  could  not  take 


50  Her  Majesty. 

offence.  "  I  have  a  strange  presentiment  that 
we  shall  come  together  again,  not  once  but 
many  times.  We  are  too  much  in  sympathy  to 
lose  each  other  utterly.  My  Christian  name  is 
Hugo,  and  there  is  no  objection  to  calling  a 
workingman  by  that,  is  there?" 

"  No,  not  a  workingman,"  Honoria  answered, 
with  a  smile,  "  nor  a  working  woman.  My  name 
is  Nora,  and  you  can  call  me  so  next  time  we 
meet." 

"  Ah,  I  see  you  don't  believe  in  my  presenti 
ment.  Well,  we  shall  see !  ' 

"  Frankly,  I  don't.  I  must  leave  you  here. 
I  am  very  grateful  to  you, — not  only  for  your 
escort,  but  for  what  you  said  to  the  people  and 
to  me.  I  shall  not  forget  either."  This  last 
was  said  in  the  true  royal  manner.  She  threw 
back  her  head  with  a  little  imperious  gesture 
she  had  ;  her  sunbonnet  fell  back ;  and,  for  the 
first  time,  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  her  face.  It 
was  but  for  a  minute,  though.  The  next  she 
had  disappeared  in  the  comparative  darkness 
of  a  cross-street. 

The  convent  clock  was  striking  eleven  as 
Honoria  slipped  through  the  little  gate  in  the 
wall  into  the  smaller  garden  inside  ;  but  it  was 


"Walked  Simply  Clad."  51 

long  past  the  early  spring  dawn  before  she  went 
to  sleep.  She  tried  to  think  of  what  she  had 
learned  that  night  of  her  people  and  her  duties 
to  them  ;  but  her  mind  was  full  of  a  delight 
experienced  for  the  first  time  in  her  life, — the 
joy  of  companionship  on  a  perfect  equality. 
Never  before  had  she  said  what  she  thought 
with  perfect  frankness  to  any  man  or  woman, 
or  they  to  her.  Mme.  Duvalet  had  been  very 
particular  that  all  the  forms  should  be  observed. 
She  had  treated  her  with  an  almost  exaggerated 
respect,  and  had  let  no  one  else  come  near 
enough  for  freedom  of  speech  to  be  possible. 
Honoria  herself  distrusted  friends  that  had  so 
much  to  gain  by  her  friendship. 

One  little  incident  of  the  evening  had  made 
an  especial  impression.  A  drunken  man  had 
reeled  around  a  corner,  and  Hugo  had  quickly 
taken  hold  of  her  arm  and  pulled  her  out  of  his 
way.  The  remembrance  of  his  touch  and  the 
strength  in  his  arm,  the  consciousness  of  protec 
tion,  stayed  with  her  all  through  the  night. 


CHAPTER  III. 

FOR  THE  THIRD  TIME. 

Til  E,  next  day  was  Sunday.    Honoria  punc 
tiliously  attended  mass  in  the  morning ; 
the  afternoon  she  spent  in  the  garden, 
pretending  to  read,  but  really  thinking  of  the  re 
markable  adventures  of  the  night  before.     She 
felt  deliciously  and  comfortably  tired,  and  the 
relief  from  the  minutiae  of  court  etiquette  was 
very  creat.     Xanon  came  out  occasionally,  evi- 

•      o  * 

dently  bent  on  conversation,  but  she  was  not 
encouraged,  and  soon  gave  up  the  attempt.  Mon 
day  morning  Honoria  took  Sunny  and  wandered 
out  into  the  park  that  stretched  to  the  north  of 
the  convent  grounds.  It  belonged  to  Count 
Waldeck,  one  of  the  numerous  absentee  land 
lords  of  the  country,  and  was  rigidly  protected 
by  walls  and  keepers  from  public  intrusion. 
The  little  gate  in  the  convent  wall  was  a  relic 
of  the  days  when  the  old  castle  in  its  midst 
had  been  inhabited,  and  there  were  frequent 
52 


For  tJie  Third  Time.  53 

comings  and  goings  between  castle  and  con 
vent.  It  opened  by  the  same  key  as  the  door 
into  the  lane. 

It  was  a  beautiful  day,  and  Honoria  passed  a 
happy  morning  under  the  huge  old  beeches 
and  oaks.  Sunny  was  ecstatically  happy,  and 
almost  raced  his  little  legs  off.  The  deer  had 
become  so  wild  from  the  seclusion  in  which 
they  lived  that  they  took  to  their  heels  at  the 
crackling  of  a  dry  twig.  She  occasionally  saw 
them,  either  singly  or  in  groups,  watching  her 
movements  from  a  little  distance.  Not  a  hu 
man  being  did  she  meet.  Although  she  was  so 
utterly  unaccustomed  to  solitude,  she  was  not 
afraid,  being,  partly  by  nature  and  partly  by 
education  and  self-discipline,  of  an  unusually 
fearless  disposition. 

It  was  with  an  intense,  though  subdued,  ex 
citement  that  she  put  on  her  sunbonnet  that 
evening  and  slipped  out  into  the  lane.  She 
could  not  suppress  a  secret  hope  that  she  might 
meet  Hugo,  as  she  now  called  him  to  herself, 
and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  disappointment 
that  she  let  herself  in  again  at  ten.  The  even 
ing  had  been  uneventful.  She  had  gone  to 
church  and  watched  the  people,  and  afterward* 


54  Her  Majesty. 

had  gathered  a  great  many  details  about  the 
poverty  and  squalor  in  which  they  lived,  but 
that  was  all. 

Tuesday  night  was  the  same,  except  for  a 
talk  she  had  with,  or  rather  to,  a  sewing  girl 
whom  she  found  leaning  disconsolately  on  the 
parapet  of  a  bridge  over  the  river,  watching  the 
dark  water  flow  by  underneath.  She  confessed 
to  being  out  of  work,  and  Honoria  had  a 
strong  suspicion  that  she  was  considering  mak 
ing  away  with  herself.  She  talked  to  her  for  a 
while,  getting  monosyllabic  or  evasive  answers. 
Finally  she  invited  her  to  come  to  a  neighbor 
ing  eating-house  and  have  some  supper.  The 
girl  looked  at  her  suspiciously  and  gave  an 
unceremonious  refusal.  Presently,  however, 
hunger  or  some  other  motive  was  too  strong 
for  her,  so  she  changed  her  mind  and  accepted 
when  Honoria  renewed  her  invitation.  Her 
Majesty  now  found  herself  in  a  difficult  posi 
tion.  She  had  never  been  in  a  public  restaurant 
in  her  life,  and  did  not  know  the  etiquette. 
Did  she  ask  for  anything  she  wanted,  and  did 
she  offer  to  pay  in  advance?  She  remembered 
that  they  never  did  in  the  novels  she  had  read, 
and  that  the  technical  term  was  to  order. 


For  the  Third  Time.  55 

Accordingly  she  extricated  herself  by  asking 
her  companion  if  she  would  order  what  she 
liked  for  supper.  At  first  the  girl  did  not  know 
what  to  make  of  such  munificence,  and  Honoria 
had  some  difficulty  in  inducing  her  to  believe 
she  meant  it.  Finally,  however,  she  ordered 
sausages  and  beer,  and  fell  on  these  delicacies 
when  they  arrived  with  a  wolfish  appetite. 
Honoria  tried  to  follow  her  example,  but  the 
plates  were  so  dirty,  and  the  odors  of  the  place 
so  strong,  and  the  food  so  greasy  and  badly 
cooked,  that  she  could  not  swallow  a  mouthful. 
The  girl  apparently  did  not  care  whether  her 
companion  ate  or  not,  so  long  as  she  had 
enough.  When,  at  last,  she  declared  herself 
satisfied,  and  Honoria  had  paid  the  bill,  they 
went  out  into  the  street  again,  and  Honoria 
invited  her  to  come  to  supper  with  her  again 
the  next  night,  hoping  to  find  her  in  a  more 
accessible  and  communicative  frame  of  mind. 
The  girl  agreed  willingly,  but  was  evidently 
suspicious  of  Honoria's  motives  for  asking  her, 
and  not  averse  to  letting  her  see  that  this  was 
so.  In  reply  to  a  question,  she  said  she  knew 
of  a  better  place,  if  she  was  not  particular  about 
the  price,  adding  that  she  liked  good  cooking 


56  Her  Majesty. 

as  much  as  any  one,  and  knew  it  when  she  saw 
it,  too.  This  remark  encouraged  Honoria 
greatly,  it  being  the  first  one  that  the  girl  had 
volunteered. 

At  dusk  the  next  evening  she  was  on  her  way 
to  keep  her  appointment,  and  was  just  turning 
down  the  street  that  led  to  the  bridge,  where 
she  had  agreed  to  meet  her  guest,  when  she 
heard  a  dog  bark  behind  her  and  turned  in  time 
to  see  an  impudent  little  white  terrier,  with  a 
black-and-tan  head,  march  up  to  a  mongrel  fully 
twice  his  size  and  insult  him.  Honoria's  first 
thought  was  how  much  the  terrier  looked  like 
Sunny ;  but  it  did  not  take  her  quarter  of  a 
minute  to  realize  that  it  was  Sunny,  and  that 
the  mongrel  was  about  to  demolish  him.  Evi 
dently  the  little  rascal  had  slipped  out  after  her 
and  was  following  in  ambush  when  his  fighting 
instinct  had  become  too  strong  for  his  discre 
tion.  It  was  not  often,  in  his  pampered,  aristo 
cratic  life,  that  he  had  the  chance  of  a  scrap. 
Some  men  who  were  standing  on  the  corner 
urged  the  dogs  on.  A  feeling  of  faintness  came 
over  Honoria,  but  she  paid  no  attention  to  it. 
Before  she  could  get  to  them,  she  saw  that  the 
mongrel  had  pinned  Sunny  down  and  was  about 


For  the  Third  Time.  57 

to  shake  the  life  out  of  him  if  he  would  not 
surrender,  and  she  knew  that  was  not  Sunny's 
way,  even  when  he  attacked  mongrels  twice  his 
size.  He  would  die,  if  must  be,  but  he  would 
not  yield.  His  mistress  had  often  noticed  this 
trait  in  him  with  fond  pride,  and  the  remem 
brance  gave  wings  to  her  feet. 

"  For  shame  !  "  she  called  out  to  the  men,  and 
then  she  was  in  the  same  heap  with  the  cursing, 
biting  dogs.  It  was  no  use  ;  all  her  strength 
was  not  enough  to  make  the  mongrel  let  go. 
Sunny  was  getting  weaker.  "  Will  no  one  help 
me  ?  "  she  cried  out  imploringly,  when  some  one 
caught  her  by  the  arm  and  dragged  her  away, 
and  the  next  second  a  stream  of  water  from  the 
fire  hydrant  on  the  corner  was  turned  full  on 
the  dogs.  Fortunately  they  happened  to  be  in 
a  direct  line  with  it.  The  mongrel  let  go  and 
Sunny  lay  on  the  ground,  a  wet,  motionless, 
little  form.  Honoria  started  to  run  to  him. 

"  Wait,  you  will  get  wet.  I  will  bring  him  to 
you,"  said  a  voice  she  recognized — Hugo's 
voice.  "  He  is  not  dead,"  he  added,  consolingly. 
"  Only  the  breath  is  knocked  out  of  him,  poor 
little  fellow.  Come  in  here  and  we  will  see 
what  we  can  do  for  him."  He  led  the  way  into 


58  Her  Majesty. 

a  bakery,  holding  the  dripping  dog  in  his  arms. 
The  woman  in  charge,  who  evidently  knew  him 
and  had  been  watching  the  fight  from  the  win 
dow,  now  bustled  around,  bringing  a  clean  flour 
sack  to  dry  the  dog  with  and  warm  water  for 
his  wounds.  Then  she  went  back  to  the  front 
of  the  shop  to  attend  a  customer.  Honoria 
started  to  take  Sunny  from  his  rescuer. 

"  No,  let  me  keep  him,"  he  protested.  "  He 
will  only  get  you  wet.  There,  he  is  all  right. 
See!"  Sunny  opened  one  eye  and  looked 
feebly  around  the  shop  until  he  saw  his  mistress. 
Then  his  tail  gave  a  limp  wag.  Ilonoria  sank 
on  her  knees  beside  him. 

"  O  Sunny,  you  rascal ! "  she  exclaimed. 
"  What  did  you  follow  me  for  ?  You  have  n't  a 
bit  of  sense,  you  dear  little  goose.  Yes,  that 's 
right.  You  ought  to  look  ashamed.  He  un 
derstands  perfectly  what  I  am  saying  to  him," 
she  added  to  Hugo.  He  smiled  indulgently  as 
he  answered  : 

"  He  is  a  fine,  plucky,  little  fellow,  and  will 
be  as  good  as  new  in  a  little  while.  There  is 
only  this  one  bad  bite  on  his  neck.  The  others 
don't  amount  to  anything.  There,  now  he  can 
go  to  you.  Why,  your  hand  is  bleeding  !  " 


For  the  Third  Time.  59 

"  It  is  nothing — only  a  scratch.  The  other 
dog  did  it.  I  have  hardly  been  conscious 
of  it." 

"  You  must  let  me  get  something  and  do  it 
up  for  you,"  Hugo  said,  and  was  out  of  the 
room  before  she  could  protest.  She  was  still 
wondering  where  he  had  gone  when  he  came 
back  with  a  basin  of  warm  water,  some  salve, 
and  a  handkerchief. 

"  How  brave  you  are,"  he  said,  admiringly,  as 
he  was  tying  up  her  hand.  The  handkerchief 
she  noticed  was  very  fine,  but  had  no  mark  on 
it.  "  I  shall  never  forget  the  way  you  flung 
yourself  on  those  dogs." 

"  Just  wait  till  you  see  me  with  a  mouse." 

"  Are  you  afraid  of  them  ?  " 

"  I  should  say  I  was." 

"  I  'd  like  to  witness  an  encounter." 

"  I  should  n't  like  to  have  you,  unless  the 
alternative  was  to  be  alone  with  the  mouse." 
Hugo  laughed  heartily,  while  Sunny  lifted  his 
head  and  gave  a  more  vigorous  wag  to  his  tail 
than  any  before. 

"  I  believe  he  knows  the  word  *  mouse,'  don't 
you,  Precious  ?  *  Mouse,'  '  mouse,'  Sunny  !  " 
But  Sunny  refused  to  take  any  more  notice  of 


60  Her  Majesty. 

the  world  around  him.  "  I  don't  know  what  to 
do  with  him,"  she  continued.  "  I  have  an  en 
gagement  at  eight,  and  I  can't  take  him  with 
me.  I  did  not  know  that  he  was  following 
me." 

"  Leave  him  here  with  me  and  let  me  doctor 
his  wounds  a  little  more.  You  did  n't  know  I 
was  a  veterinary?  Well,  I  am — in  an  unpro 
fessional  way.  I  lodge  over  this  shop,  and  if 
you  stop  here  on  your  way  home  and  send 
Mrs.  Berger  up  for  me,  I  will  bring  him  down." 

"  But  are  n't  you  going  out  yourself?" 

"  No ;  I  was  intending  to  stay  in  all  the 
evening.  I  have  an  article  to  finish  for  one  of 
the  papers.  Do  let  me!  I  shall  be  glad  to." 

"  I  am  under  such  heavy  obligations  to  you 
already  that  I  suppose  one  more  or  less  does 
not  matter." 

"  It  ought  not  to  matter  between  two  people 
who  think  so  much  alike  as  we  do; — not  that  I 
admit  the  obligation.  You  see,  I  was  right 
about  our  coming  together  again, — though  it 
took  a  dog  fight  to  bring  it  about." 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  were.  You  don't  know 
what  this  little  dog  is  to  me." 

"  I  can  guess  it,  for  I   have  had  dogs  of  my 


For  the  TJiird  7ime.  61 

own,  and  he  is  such  a  brave,  intelligent  little 
specimen.  I  will  tell  Mrs.  Berger  that  you  will 
call  for  the  dog.  Good-by." 

Honoria  was  afraid  her  new  friend  would  be 
gone,  as  she  was  a  few  minutes  late  to  the  ap 
pointment  ;  but  she  was  there  in  the  same 
place,  by  the  parapet  of  the  bridge.  She 
looked  a  little  less  forlorn  than  the  night  be 
fore,  and  had  evidently  taken  some  pains  with 
her  toilet.  Honoria  apologized  for  being  late, 
and  asked  her  to  show  her  the  way  to  the 
place  they  were  going  to  have  supper.  The 
girl's  suspicions  were  evidently  not  quieted ; 
but,  feeling  herself  abundantly  able  to  take 
care  of  herself,  she  had  apparently  made  up 
her  mind  to  get  what  she  could  out  of  her  new 
acquaintance.  She  was  a  little  less  sullen  and 
uncommunicative,  but  impressed  Honoria  as  a 
person  in  deep  trouble  as  well  as  in  mere  bodily 
want.  She  was  disappointed  in  not  being  able 
to  get  her  to  talk  and  tell  her  about  the  sewing 
girls  and  the  class  to  which  she  belonged  gen 
erally.  If  she  had  had  months  before  her  in 
stead  of  ten  days,  she  felt  she  would  have  liked 
to  try  to  do  something  for  the  girl  individually. 
As  it  was,  however,  it  was  her  duty  simply  to 


62  Her  Majesty. 

gather  all  the  knowledge  she  could  of  her 
people  as  a  whole.  After  the  supper,  which 
was  more  of  an  improvement  on  that  of  the 
night  before  from  her  guest's  point  of  view 
than  her  own,  they  walked  back  to  the  bridge 
together.  Here  the  girl  left  her — to  go  home, 
she  said.  Honoria  leaned  for  a  moment  against 
the  parapet,  idly  watching  her  as  she  went  back 
over  the  bridge  towards  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river  ;  and  then,  feeling  very  tired  after  the 
excitement  of  the  evening,  she  sat  down  on  a 
bench  built  in  the  side  of  the  bridge  to  rest. 
Where  she  sat  was  in  the  shadow,  but  the  girl 
was  in  the  bright  glare  of  an  electric  light. 
Presently,  to  her  surprise,  she  saw  some  one 
whom  she  took  to  be  Hugo  approaching. 
When  he  met  the  girl  he  stopped  and  spoke 
to  her  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  then  they  both 
went  on  their  way.  She  could  not  tell  why, 
but  this  little  incident  gave  her  a  troubled 
feeling.  She  had  not  thought  of  his  knowing 
girls  like  that.  In  the  hope  that  he  would  not 
see  her,  she  leaned  closer  to  the  parapet ;  but 
Hugo  apparently  had  sharp  eyes. 

"  Oh,  is  it  you?"  he  said,  when  he  was  op 
posite  her.     "Your  little  friend  is  getting  along 


For  the  Third  Time.  63 

finely.  I  left  him  in  the  shop  with  Mrs.  Berger 
for  ten  minutes.  I  had  forgotten  that  I  had  to 
leave  my  MS.  at  the  newspaper  office."  As  he 
spoke  all  her  vague  anxieties  left  her. 

"  I  am  so  glad,"  she  said.  Then  added  :  "  Do 
you  know  anything  about  that  girl  you  were 
just  talking  to  ?  " 

"  Yes,  a  great  deal."  Then  he  broke  off  with 
a  laugh  :  "  Were  you  the  person  who  took  her 
to  supper?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  answered.  "  Why  do  you 
laugh  ?  " 

"  At  what  she  just  told  me  ;  I  don't  know 
whether  I  ought  to  tell  you." 

"Yes,  do,"  pleaded  Honoria. 

"  She  said  she  was  sure  you  wanted  her  for 
some  bad  purpose,  but  that  she  had  fooled  you. 
She  said  that  you  had  n't  '  got  much  change 
out  of  her.'  " 

"  No,  I  did  n't.  All  I  wanted  of  her  was  to 
get  her  to  tell  me  something  about  sewing  girls, 
but  I  could  n't  get  a  word  out  of  her.  I  knew 
she  distrusted  me.  She  showed  it  very  plainly. 
You  don't  believe  her  then  ?  "  Hugo  answered 
only  with  another  laugh. 

"  Many  people  would  tell  that  she— her  name 


64  Her  Majesty. 

is  Lizzy  something — is  not  a  fit  associate  for 
you,  and  perhaps  you  will  think  so  yourself 
when  you  know  her  story.  May  I  sit  down 
here?  She  is  very  unhappy,  poor  girl,  and  has 
learned  to  distrust  people's  motives  by  hard 
experience.  One  of  the  foresters  on  Count 
Waldcck's  estate  has  been  making  love  to  her 
for  a  long  time  ;  but  a  widow  with  some  money 
came  in  his  way,  and  he  married  her  a  month 
ago.  And  now  he  says  he  never  had  the 
slightest  idea  of  marrying  Lizzy  ;  that  she 
was  n't  a  fit  match  for  him.  She  was  and  is 
very  much  in  love  with  him,  and  made  herself 
very  unhappy,  and  neglected  her  work  so  that 
she  lost  her  place,  and  what  she  does  now,  poor 
girl,  I  do  not  know.  Some  people  whom  I 
have  interested  in  her  see  that  she  gets  an 
occasional  square  meal.  And  nobody  will  give 
her  anything  to  do  because  of  this  affair :  she 
has  not  kept  her  wrongs  to  herself."  Honoria 
was  silent.  "  I  am  sorry  I  told  you  this  if  it 
will  make  you  any  less  kind  to  her,"  he  added. 
"  Someway,  after  our  talk  the  other  night,  I  can 
not  believe  that  it  will." 

"  No,"  she  answered  slowly,  "  it  would  make 
me   kinder   to   her  if  I   were  likely  to  see  her 


For  the  Third  Time.  65 

again.  Perhaps  I  am  wrong — many  people 
would  say  that  I  am — but  I  cannot  have  the 
feeling  most  women  have  towards  our  sisters 
who  transgress — I  cannot  even  call  it  sin — 
when  it  is  through  love  they  do  it.  We,  those 
who  have  more  than  they,  do  not  know  what 
temptation  is.  When  I  look  at  the  lives  they 
lead,  utterly  devoid  of  any  sweetness  or  light, 
I  do  not  wonder  that  an  occasional  one  slips 
and  falls,  but  that  they  all  do  not.  Love,  first 
love  especially,  comes  like  a  fairy  godmother 
with  a  wand  in  her  hand  to  all  of  us,  but  it 
must  be  an  angel  from  heaven  to  those  who 
live  in  dark  places  of  the  earth.  No  matter 
how  many  sermons  they  have  had  preached  at 
them,  how  can  they  distrust  a  power  that  works 
such  miracles  with  the  squalor  and  wretched 
ness  around  them?  No,  I  cannot  judge  them. 
I  have  never  been  tempted  ;  and,  besides,  my 
head  would  always  be  stronger  than  my  heart. 
But  suppose  I  were  obliged  to  lead  the  existence 
this  Lizzy  and  such  as  she  lead  ;  suppose  I  had 
less  to  lose,  as  little  as  they ;  suppose  I  had  less 
education ;  suppose  my  temperament  were  dif 
ferent,  how  can  I  say  that  I  would  be  any  better 
than  they?  No!  I  would  pity  them  from  the 

5 


66  Her  Majesty. 

depths  of  my  heart,  but  I  would  not  condemn 
them  nor  shun  them."  Hugh  took  off  his  cap 
before  she  finished  speaking. 

"  You  thanked  me  for  something  I  said,  and 
I  want  to  thank  you  for  this.  It  is  what  I  have 
always  longed  to  hear  a  virtuous  woman  say." 
Honoria  blushed  and  looked  confused  behind 
her  sunbonnet.  She  rose  to  her  feet  and  moved 
on,  saying : 

"  I  did  not  mean  to  say  that  about  myself. 
I  have  read  about  the  sudden  impulse  of  con 
fidence  one  has  with  strangers,  and  now  I  see  it 
is  true." 

"  Yes,"  Hugo  answered,  "  because  we  can 
relieve  our  minds  by  confiding,  while,  all  the 
time,  we  know  the  person  we  are  talking  to 
knows  too  little  about  us  to  be  able  to  put  two 
and  two  together  and  get  any  definite 
knowledge." 

"  I  wonder  how  Sunny  is,"  Honoria  remarked 
when  they  had  walked  a  little  way  in  silence. 

"  Is  that  the  name  of  your  dog  ?  By  the  way, 
has  n't  our  gracious  sovereign  a  dog  called 
Sunny?  It  seems  to  me  I  read  an  account  in 
the  paper  of  his  skill  in  catching  a  rat  or  a 
squirrel."  Honoria's  heart  stood  still.  She 


For  the  Third  Time.  67 

gave  a  quick  look  at  her  companion,  but  seeing 
he  was  evidently  perfectly  unsuspicious,  she 
collected  her  wits  and  answered  calmly  : 

"  I  believe  she  has;  but  when  I  named  this 
dog,  I  did  not  know  there  was  another  of  the 
same  name  in  the  whole  world.  He  was  such 
a  bright,  jolly  little  fat  puppy  that  Sunny 
seemed  to  suit  him  exactly." 

"  It  is  a  curious  coincidence,"  Hugo  remarked 
as  he  opened  the  door  into  the  bakery.  Sunny 
was  asleep  in  a  little  box  rilled  with  excelsior. 
There  was  no  one  else  in  the  shop.  Although 
he  was  glad  to  see  his  mistress,  Honoria  declared 
jealously  that  he  was  equally  glad  to  see  her 
companion. 

"  He  knows  you  turned  the  hydrant  on  the 
horrid  big  dog,  don't  you,  Sunny  darling?" 

"  You  had  better  leave  him  here  for  a  day  or 
two  and  let  me  take  care  of  him  for  you,"  Hugo 
proposed.  "You  would  have  to  carry  him  if 
you  took  him  now.  I  will  leave  him  here  with 
Mrs.  Berger  when  I  am  out — she  is  devoted  to 
him  already — and  you  can  get  him  any  time 
you  like.  You  need  n't  see  me  at  all,"  he 
said  at  last,  with  a  smile. 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  you,"  Honoria  was  begin- 


68  Her  Majesty. 

ning.  It  was  the  second  impulse  of  coquetry 
that  she  had  had  in  her  life.  The  first  was 
when  she  had  told  him  he  might  call  her  Nora. 
After  this,  it  would  not  have  been  possible  to 
keep  count  of  them.  Now,  however,  she 
changed  her  remark  to  :  "  I  am  not  afraid  to 
go  home  alone,"  for  Hugo  had  caught  up  his 
cap  as  she  moved  towards  the  door,  as  if  to 
accompany  her. 

"  I  won't  insist  if  you  don't  want  me  to,"  he 
said,  "  but  I  should  like  to  very  much." 

"  You  may  go  as  far  as  the  North  Gate," 
Honoria  said  graciously. 

"  You  are  anxious  to  see  something  of  the 
people?  "  he  asked,  when  they  were  out  in  the 
street. 

"  Yes.  I  want  to  know  how  they  live  and 
whether  they  are  as  poor  and  oppressed  as  they 
are  said  to  be." 

"  It  could  not  be  exaggerated.  I  could  show 
you  all  you  wish  to  see,  if  you  would  trust  me 
to  go  about  with  you  a  little.  You  can  ask 
Mrs.  Berger  about  me.  She  will  tell  you  that 
I  am  a  model  lodger,  sober,  decent,  and  re 
spectable." 

"  I  don't  need  to  ask  her.     I  am  accustomed 


For  the  Third  Time.  69 

to  use  my  own  judgment  about  people.  Some 
way,  you  have  inspired  me  with  a  great  deal  of 
confidence,  and  yet  this  is  only  the  third  time 
I  have  seen  you.  I  will  go  anywhere  with  you 
that  you  are  willing  to  take  me,  and  be  glad  of 
the  opportunity." 

"  Thank  you.  Suppose  you  meet  me  at  the 
North  Gate  at  eight  to-morrow  evening  then. 
I  don't  want  to  lessen  my  claim  to  friendship  by 
one  third,  but  is  n't  this  only  the  second  time 
we  have  met  ?  "  Honoria  smiled  as  she  answered : 

"  I  wondered  if  you  would  notice  the  dis 
crepancy.  No  ;  it  is  three  times,  but  I  am  not 
going  to  tell  you  about  the  other  one,  so  it  is 
no  use  to  ask." 

"  How  delightfully  mysterious !  Will  you 
never  tell  me  ?" 

"  Never,  though  I  won't  promise  you  will 
never  find  it  out.  I  wish  I  could.  You  see  I 
have  the  advantage  of  you." 

"  Indeed,  you  have.  I  am  dreadfully  curious, 
but  I  suppose  I  must  n't  tease.  Is  n't  it  strange 
how  people  make  an  impression  on  us  irrespec 
tive  of  anything  they  do  or  say,  or  any  knowl 
edge  we  have  of  them  ?  "  he  went  on.  "  I  think 
if  you  had  not  said  a  word  to  me,  I  should  still 


70  Her  Majesty. 

have  been  able  to  laugh  at  what  Lizzy  said  to 
me  about  you." 

"  I  think  we  have  some  mental  organ  that 
takes  a  photograph,  a  flash  light,  of  the  people 
we  meet,  and  developes  it  on  our  brain,"  said 
Honoria. 

"Yes,"  he  assented,  "  some  people  do  not 
possess  it  at  all,  while  others  have  an  unusually 
perfect  instrument.  The  funny  part  is  that  we 
each  think,  like  people  with  their  cameras,  that 
our  own  is  the  most  reliable." 

"  Warranted  to  take  the  most  faithful  and 
life-like  pictures,"  she  added.  "  But  here  we 
are.  You  said  eight  o'clock,  did  n't  you  ? 
Good  night.  I  am  not  going  to  thank  you 
again.  I  am  tired  of  doing  it.  I  shall  just 
take  your  services  for  granted  after  this." 

"  I  wish  you  would.  Then  I  shall  really  feel 
that  you  are  a  friend.  That  is  the  way  it  should 
be  between  friends, — friends  that  are  friends, 
not  mere  acquaintances." 

"  Friends  when  we  do  not  know  a  single  thing 
about  each  other,  not  even  each  other's  names  ! " 
exclaimed  Honoria,  who,  woman-like,  found  it 
hard  to  keep  strictly  impersonal  with  this  inter 
esting  companion. 


For  the  Third  Time.  7 1 

"  That  is  not  necessary,  so  long  as  we  know 
something  of  each  other's  minds.  Besides,  I  do 
know  your  name."  He  paused,  and  Honoria's 
heart  stood  still  until  he  added,  "  Good-night, 
Nora."  He  vanished  in  the  darkness  before 
she  could  protest  that  she  had  n't  meant  that ; 
that  she  had  been  sure  she  should  never  see 
him  again. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

IN    THE   PARK. 

HONORIA  never  forgot  the  scenes  her 
new  friend  took  her  to  the  next  night 
and  for  several  successive  nights  after 
that.  She  had  not  dreamed  that  there  were 
such  places  or  such  people  in  the  world,  much 
less  in  the  little  corner  of  it  that  she  called 
hers.  It  made  her  sad  at  first,  horribly  sad  ; 
and  it  took  all  the  pleasure  she  felt  in  Hugo's 
society  to  counteract  this  impression.  At  last 
she  blamed  herself  for  not  taking  it  more  to 
heart ;  but  how  could  she  when  she  was  tasting 
for  the  first  time  in  her  life  the  delights  of  a 
friendship  with  a  man  who  was  her  superior  in 
every  essential  ?  It  was  a  pleasure  to  be  out- 
talked,  won-over,  made  to  believe  that  which 
she  did  not  wish  to  believe  ;  for,  in  spite  of  her 
dabbling  in  democratic  ideas,  Honoria  was  a 
thorough  aristocrat  at  heart,  with  many  of  the 
72 


In  the  Park.  73 

prejudices  of  her  class  only  veneered  with  mod 
ern  ideas. 

Saturday  night  she  and  Hugo  were  out  until 
very  late,  first  attending  a  meeting  at  which  he 
spoke,  and  then  wandering  through  streets  and 
alleys  where  night  was  turned  into  a  hideous 
mockery  of  day,  and  appalling  sights  were  to 
be  met  with  on  all  sides.  Hugo  often  urged 
her  to  go  back,  but  Honoria  was  resolute  ;  she 
wanted  to  see  all  there  was  to  see. 

Sunday  morning,  after  mass,  she  and  Sunny 
started  for  a  walk  in  Waldeck  park.  She  was 
tired,  and  would  gladly  have  stayed  quietly  in 
the  convent  garden,  but  Nanon  had  a  grievance 
and  was  dying  to  talk  of  it,  and  refused  to  be 
suppressed.  Honoria  could  not  bear  to  hurt 
her  feelings  by  a  direct  snub,  and  a  long  story 
about  a  matter  of  no  consequence  was  the  last 
thing  she  wanted  to  listen  to  this  sunshiny  Sun 
day  morning,  when,  for  some  strange  reason, 
everything, — trees,  sky,  grass,  and  the  sunshine 
itself, — seemed  to  have  taken  on  a  mysterious 
glamour.  She  could  not  take  refuge  in  the  large 
garden,  because  the  children,  with  whom  she 
had  made  herself  uncomfortably  popular,  hung 
around  her  neighborhood  and  cast  wistfu? 


74  Her  Majesty. 

glances  at  her  if  she  did  not  talk  and  play 
with  them.  Besides,  she  wanted  to  be  alone, 
far  away  from  every  one,  and  free  to  give  her 
self  up  undisturbed  to  the  glory  and  the  dream. 
So  she  slipped  on  her  gingham  gown  and  sun- 
bonnet,  thinking  she  might  get  up  courage  to 
take  a  little  walk  in  the  city  afterwards,  for  she 
had  not  yet  ventured  out  by  daylight,  and 
slipped  through  the  little  gate  into  the  park 
beyond. 

She  had  not  been  in  the  park  for  nearly  a 
week — a  week  of  heavenly  weather  that  had 
made  a  lovely  promise  into  a  glorious  fulfilment. 
Last  week  it  had  been  spring-like,  but  to-day  it 
was  spring.  Honoria  took  off  her  close  sun- 
bonnet  and  hung  it  on  her  arm  as  she  wandered 
idly  about  for  an  hour  or  so,  and  then  made  her 
way  to  her  favorite  spot, — a  little  hollow  sur 
rounded  by  seven  huge  beeches,  and  filled  with 
big,  gray,  lichen-covered  rocks,  among  which 
tall  ferns  grew.  The  ground  was  clamp,  but  the 
rocks  were  warm  and  sun-dried.  It  was  Sun- 
ny's  favorite  spot,  too,  there  were  such  deep, 
mysterious  crannies  and  holes  for  him  to  poke 
his  inquisitive  little  nose  into  ;  so  he  ran  on 
eagerly  in  front  of  his  mistress  when  he  saw  she 


In  the  Park.  75 

was  headed  that  way.  Presently  she  heard  his 
shrill  little  staccato  bark,  and — she  could  not 
be  mistaken — a  voice  she  knew  was  calling  him 
by  name. 

"  Down,  Sunny,  you  rascal !  Have  n't  you 
any  manners  ?  Don't  eat  me  up.  No,  sir,  I 
don't  like  to  be  kissed  by  you.  How,  in  the 
name  of  Cain,  did  you  get  here?  Run  away 
again,  I  suppose."  Honoria  stepped  forward. 
Her  friend  Hugo  was  lying  on  the  top  of  a  flat 
rock,  his  legs  in  the  sun,  and  his  head  in  the 
shade  of  a  beech.  He  jumped  to  his  feet  when 
he  saw  her;  and  she  laughed  aloud  at  his  sur 
prise. 

"  I  should  not  have  known  you  if  it  had  not 
been  for  Sunny  and  your  laugh,"  he  said,  his 
face  still  lit  up  at  the  pleasure  of  seeing  her. 
"  I  have  never  had  a  really  good  look  at  you 
before,  so  excuse  me  if  I  seem  to  stare.     Come 
up  here  where  I  am  and  sit  down." 
"To  be  stared  at  ?     No,  I  thank  you." 
"  I  won't  if  you  '11  only  come.     I  was  joking." 
"  Very  well.     If  I  had  known  I  was  going  to 
run  across  you,  I  'd  have  kept  a  tighter  hold  on 
my  sunbonnet.     I  seem  to  have  lost  it." 

"  Why  do  you  care?     Do  you  suppose   I  am 


76  Her  Majesty. 

idiot  enough  to  think  sunbonnets  your  normal 
attire?" 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  think.  You  keep 
it  carefully  to  yourself." 

"  I  supposed  I  was  expected  to.  I  have  n't 
annoyed  you  with  reticence  on  any  other  sub 
ject,  have  I  ?  "  Honoria  laughed. 

"  On  only  one  other,"  she  said. 

"  Well,  that  's  only  fair.  But  sit  down  here, 
Nora,  my  unknown  philanthropist,  my  mysteri 
ous  friend.  Do  you  know,  I  always  suspected 
you  were  not  endowed  with  that  which  is  said 
to  be  only  skin  deep,  you  kept  your  face  so 
carefully  hidden  in  that  hideous  old  bonnet. 
I  'm  everlastingly  glad  it 's  lost.  The  glimpses 
I  had  were  alluring,  but  lots  of  ugly  women 
are  good-looking  in  the  dark.  I  see  I  was  mis 
taken,  though." 

"  Don't  talk  to  me  in  that  way.  It 's  alto 
gether  too  fresh, — intimate,  I  mean.  You 
never  did  it  before." 

"  You  said  you  trusted  me." 

"  I  know  I  did." 

"Well,  don't  you  now?" 

"  Ye— es." 

"  Then,  don't  you  like  it,    to  be  talked   to  in 


In  the  Park.  77 

that  way?"  Honoria  hesitated,  then  answered 
bravely  : 

"Yes,  I  do."  Hugo's  face  lit  up  and  he 
laughed  with  pleasure. 

"Then,  why  shouldn't  I?  Now,  my  dear 
girl,  you  know  we  can't  be  strictly  impersonal 
any  longer;  it's  a  moral  impossibility.  We 
did  n't  manage  it  very  well  last  night.  Come, 
let 's  be  happy  this  glorious  sunshiny  Sunday 
morning,  and  forget  that  there  is  any  future  or 
any  past.  What  difference  if  we  don't  know 
the  combination  of  letters  that  spells  each 
other's  name ;  we  do  know  and  trust  each 
other's  real  selves."  He  held  out  his  hand  to 
her. 

"  Very  well,  if  you  will  confine  yourself  to  the 
purely  platonic,"  she  answered,  putting  her 
hand  in  his. 

"  I  suppose  I  Ve  got  to,"  he  said  resignedly. 
"  Do  you  know,  I  was  just  thinking  a  little 
thought  or  two  about  you  as  I  lay  here,  but  I 
am  not  going  to  tell  you  what  they  were.  I 
have  been  to  this  spot  a  number  of  times 
before,  but  only  on  one  occasion  did  I  ever 
meet  any  one.  I  suppose  I  must  n't  ask  you 
how  you  got  in?  " 


7  8  Her  Majesty. 

"  Nor  I  you  !  "  she  answered.  "  I  will  tell 
you  a  secret,"  she  went  on.  Hugo  raised  him 
self  eagerly  on  one  elbow  ;  for  he  had  stretched 
himself  out  on  the  rock  again,  with  Sunny  on 
top  of  him.  Honoria  lowered  her  voice  to  an 
impressive  whisper  as  she  said  : 

"  I  am  a  fairy,"  and  then  she  laughed  at  the 
look  of  disappointment  that  showed  itself  in 
his  face. 

"  I  think  you  are  a  witch,  or  a  hobgoblin,  noth 
ing  half  so  harmless  as  a  fairy.  Which  are  you, 
— the  queen  ?  "  Honoria  only  just  checked  a 
start  as  she  realized  what  he  meant. 

"Yes,  I  am  the  queen.  Is  there  anything  I 
can  do  for  you,  poor  mortal  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  any  quantity.  I  am  afraid,  though, 
they  would  n't  come  under  the  heading  of  our 
agreement." 

"  What  book  have  you  there  ?  "  she  asked, 
pointedly  changing  the  subject. 

"  Can't  Your  Majesty  divine  that  ?  "  he  asked. 
A  curious  look  came  over  Honoria's  face. 

"  It  is — I  can't  be  mistaken — I  really  believe 
it  is  the  Morte  d' Arthur" 

"Ah,  you  saw  the  title." 

"You  would  n't  believe  me  if  I  said  I  didn't, 


In  the  Park.  79 

so  I  won't  put  your  politeness  to  the  test,"  she 
answered.  "You  are  fond  of  old  Mallory  ?  " 

"  I  have  n't  owned  a  copy  for  years.  I  was 
devoted  to  it  when  I  was  a  boy,  and  I  saw  this 
in  a  bookstore  yesterday  and  bought  it  for  old 
association's  sake.  The  funny  part  of  it  is  that 
it  is  intimately  connected  with  my  other  adven 
ture  on  this  spot,  which  I  spoke  about  a  minute 
ago.  Would  you  like  to  hear  about  it  ?  It  is 
very  interesting ;  lots  more  so  than  my  stories 
about  drains  and  politics  which  you  are  so  fond 
of  listening  to." 

"  I  should  like  to  hear  it,"  she  answered,  with 
a  curious  smile. 

"  Well,  the  last  time  I  was  in  this  fine  coun 
try  of  yours  was  ten  or  twelve  years  ago.  I 
am  sorry  to  have  to  bestow  this  information  on 
you  gratuitously,  but  it  comes  with  the  story. 
My  sister  had  died  a  short  time  before,  and  I 
was  feeling  very  much  cut  up.  She  was  sev 
eral  years  older  than  I,  but  we  had  always  been 
chums.  We  had  even  had  the  same  tutors, 
and  I  missed  her  horribly.  Well,  one  day, — it 
was  in  the  spring,  too — I  came  out  here  to  be 
miserable,  and  took  Morte  d' Arthur  as  a  pre 
text.  I  was  lying  here  on  this  very  rock  when 


8o  Her  Majesty. 

I  heard  a  whistle,  and,  looking  up,  I  saw  a  little 
girl  standing  just  where  you  stood.  It  was  a 
very  pretty  little  girl,  beautifully  dressed,  and 
she  had  a  little  gold  whistle  in  her  hand.  She 
asked  me  if  I  had  seen  her  dog,  a  big  stag 
hound  ;  and  her  manner  was  simple  and  natu 
ral,  but  not  in  the  least  shy.  I  offered  to  help 
her  look  for  him  ;  but  she  thought  she  would 
sit  down  and  wait  and  see  if  he  did  n't  find  her. 
She  was  tired  of  looking.  I  helped  her  up  on 
the  rock,  just  as  I  did  you,  and  we  began  to 
talk.  Are  you  listening?  Does  this  bore  you  ?" 
he  broke  off  abruptly;  for  Honoriawas  looking 
off  in  the  distance,  an  absent-minded  expres 
sion  on  her  face. 

"  Bore  me  ?  I  should  say  not.  I  am  in 
tensely  interested.  Go  on,  Hugo.  What  did 
you  talk  about  ?  " 

"  Dogs  first,  and  then  about  my  book.  And 
I  told  her  some  of  the  story  and  read  her  bits 
(suited  to  her  age),  and  she  became  so  interested 
in  it  that  she  said  she  should  get  her  governess 
to  buy  the  book  for  her.  I  expressed  my 
doubts  as  to  her  being  willing  she  should  read 
it,  but  she  said  she  let  her  read  anything  she 
wanted  to,  almost.  And  she  cried  a  lot  when 


In  the  Park.  81 

I  read  her  about  Launcelot's  death, — quite  un 
affectedly  and  without  the  slightest  attempt  at 
hiding  it.  She  even  borrowed  a  handkerchief 
of  me  when  her  own  was  used  up." 

"  How  old  was  she,  and  did  she  tell  you  her 
name  ?  "  Honoria  asked. 

"  I  should  guess  she  was  about  twelve  from 
her  looks,  but  she  was  very  old  for  her  age. 
She  would  n't  tell  me  her  name  nor  how  she 
got  into  the  park.  Well,  she  stayed  with  me 
nearly  all  day,  and  I  almost  forgot  my  unhappi- 
ness,  for  the  first  time.  At  last,  however,  she 
asked  me  why  I  was  in  mourning,  and  I  told 
her  all  about  Helena,  and  showed  her  the  watch 
she  had  had  made  for  my  sixteenth  birthday, 
and  she  was  wonderfully  sympathetic  for  a 
child,  and  kept  begging  me  to  tell  her  more. 
I  never  understood  why  I  did  it,  for  I  could  n't 
bear  to  have  even  my  father  speak  of  her  to 
me.  I  had  brought  some  sandwiches  out  with 
me  for  lunch,  and  I  divided  them  with  her  and 
her  dog,  who  succeeded  in  finding  us.  It  was 
late  in  the  afternoon  before  she  went,  and  she 
insisted  on  giving  me  this  little  gold  whistle  to 
remember  her  by.  See  here." 

"  Yes  ;  I  noticed  it  the  first  night  we  met.     I 

6 


82  Her  Majesty. 

suppose  your  telling  her  about  your  sister  was 
just  another  instance  of  what  we  were  speaking 
of  the  other  night,  our  bursts  of  confidence  to 
strangers,  don't  you  remember?  Is  there  any 
more?" 

"  Yes  ;  the  most  thrilling  part  is  yet  to  come. 
I  gave  her  my  Morte  d' Arthur.  It  was  the 
same  edition  and  binding  as  this  one,  and 
Helena  had  given  it  to  me  ;  but  she  had  given 
me  so  many  things,  and  I  knew  she  would  have 
liked  me  to  give  it  to  this  little  girl  who  took 
such  an  interest  in  her.  It  had  Hugo  from 
Helena  on  the  title  page.  Well,  I  went  home 
and  showed  the  whistle  to  my  father  and  told 
him  about  it,  and  he  discovered  the  royal  arms 
on  it, — see  here — and  was  surprised  and  ashamed 
at  my  not  knowing  them.  He  knew  the  little 
Princess  Honoria  was  staying  at  the  convent, 
and  guessed  that  she  was  my  little  friend  ; 
and,  sure  enough,  it  was.  My  father  found 
out  through  Father  Lalande  that  she  had 
run  away  for  the  day,  and  that  they  had  been 
in  the  greatest  state  of  excitement  about 
it.  Now  was  n't  that  a  romantic  adventure 
to  happen  on  the  very  spot  where  you  are 
sitting?" 


In  the  Park.  83 

"  I  should  say  so.  And  you  have  never  seen 
or  heard  from  her  since  ?  " 

"  Never.  You  see  she  did  n't  know  who  I 
was ;  and,  someway,  I  have  never  cared  to  see 
her.  I  prefer  to  remember  her  as  she  was  that 
day ;  and  it  is  hard  for  me  even  now  to  believe 
the  things  I  hear  about  her.  I  hear  that  Baron 
Hausman  reports  that  she  refuses  to  take  the 
slightest  interest  in  the  peopleand  their  troubles, 
and  insists  on  spending  those  enormous  sums 
of  money  on  entertainments  and  royal  caprices. 
A  committee  of  workingmen  called  on  him  to 
remonstrate  on  the  expenditure,  thinking  he 
was  at  the  bottom  of  it,  and  that  was  what  he 
said.  Of  course,  it  may  not  be  true  ;  he  is  such 
an  infernal  old  liar." 

"  When  was  this?  "  Honoria  asked,  with  diffi 
culty  suppressing  her  indignation. 

"  Yesterday  or  day  before.  I  heard  it  only 
this  morning.  But  I  do  not  see  how  my  sym 
pathetic  little  friend  could  have  changed  so," 
he  continued.  "'Anyway,  I  doubt  if  she  has 
ever  thought  of  our  adventure  again." 

"  I  don't  believe  that  and  neither  do  you," 
said  Honoria.  "  Just  think  what  a  life  she  must 
have  led,  wailed  around  with  etiquette,  and 


84  Her  Majesty. 

never  allowed  to  talk  to  any  one  within  a  mile 
of  her  own  age  alone,  much  less  a  strange 
boy." 

"  If  she  wasn't,  she  took  to  it  naturally," 
Hugo  put  in.  Honoria  took  no  notice  of  his 
remark,  but  went  on: 

"  I  am  sure  it  was  the  event  of  her  life,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  she  thought  of  you  and  longed 
to  see  you  and  dreamed  of  you  for  many  years 
afterwards  ;  and  that  the  Morte  d*  Arthur  was 
her  most  precious  treasure.  Poor  little  girl ! 
It  must  be  so  lonely  to  be  the  heir  to  a  throne, 
so  far  up  and  away  from  people  and  human 
interests  and  all  that  makes  life  worth  having. 
Besides,  I  should  n't  wonder,  indeed,  I  am  sure 
you  must  have  been  rather  a  good-looking  boy, 
Hugo.  Weren't  you?"  Hugo  tried  to  blush 
and  look  bashful  as  he  answered,  coughing  and 
turning  away  his  head  in  mock  modesty  : 

"  I  believe  I  was  considered — not  bad  look 
ing."  Honoria  laughed. 

"  How  coy  he  is !  And  how  about  now  ? 
Do  you  think  you  are  not  bad  looking  now?  " 

"What  /  think  is  not  of  the  slightest  conse 
quence,"  he  replied  significantly,  dropping  his 
shyness. 


In  the  Park.  85 

"  Did  n't  you  suspect  her  of  being  of  high 
rank?"  she  asked  quickly. 

"After  I  knew  who  she  was,  I  did.  Then  I 
remembered  certain  little  imperious  gestures 
and  things  of  that  sort, — no  more  than  you 
have,  though.  I  never  saw  anything  in  royalty 
more  imperious  than  the  look  you  gave  me  last 
night  when  I  said  something  you  said  was  utter 
nonsense.  I  shall  never  forget  my  day  with 
my  sovereign,  though,"  he  added. 

"  A  very  pretty  little  story,"  Honoria  went  on. 
"  Here,  read  some  to  me,  too,  what  you  read 
to  the  Queen,  for  instance,  only  it  need  n't  be 
suited  to  my  age.  I  am  going  to  lean  back 
here  against  this  rock,  but  don't  think  I  am  not 
listening  if  I  shut  my  eyes.  I  am  very  tired." 

"  Our  night  tramps  have  been  too  much  for 
you,  I  am  afraid,"  Hugo  said  affectionately, 
making  a  pillow  for  her  out  of  his  coat  which 
was  lying  beside  him.  He  was  not  in  strict 
workingman's  clothes  to-day,  but  in  a  neglige 
costume  that  would  have  suited  almost  any 
station.  "  Here,  lean  back  and  don't  talk,  and 
I  will  read  to  you." 

He  read  for  over  an  hour,  a  chapter  here 
and  a  chapter  there.  Honoria  had  said  she 


86  Her  Majesty. 

liked  the  parts  about  Guinever  and  Launcelot 
best,  so  he  read  her  of  how  she  was  jealous 
of  Elaine,  and  of  how  she  fled  to  the  convent 
at  Almesbury,  and  how  Launcelot  parted  from 
her  with  the  words :  "  For  I  take  record  of 
God  ;  in  you  I  have  had  my  earthly  joy."  And 
of  her  death,  and  finally  of  Launcelot's.  And 
when  he  had  read  the  words  Sir  Ector  spoke 
over  his  dead  body — "  Thou,  Sir  Launcelot, 
there  thou  liest,  that  thou  were  never  matched 
of  earthly  knight's  hand  ;  and  thou  were  the 
courtiest  knight  that  ever  bare  shield ;  and 
thou  were  the  truest  friend  to  thy  lover  that 
ever  bestrode  horse  ;  and  thou  were  the  truest 
lover  of  a  sinful  man  that  ever  loved  woman  ; 
and  thou  were  the  kindest  man  that  ever 
strake  with  sword  ;  and  thou  were  the  good 
liest  person  ever  came  among  press  of  knights; 
and  thou  was  the  meekest  man  and  the  gen 
tlest  that  ever  eat  in  hall  among  ladies  ;  and 
thou  were  the  sternest  man  to  thy  mortal  foes 
that  ever  put  spear  in  rest."  He  closed  the 
book  and  looked  at  Honoria  to  find  the  tears 
streaming  down  her  face.  She  did  not  seem 
to  be  at  all  ashamed  of  them. 

"  I    am    as    bad   as    your   little   queen,"    she 


In  the  Park.  87 

sobbed.  Hugo  took  one  of  her  hands  in  both 
his. 

"  I  wish  I  had  n't  promised,"  he  said. 
"Did  you  ever  read  this  before?" 

"  Oh,  yes !  But  not  for  a  long  while.  It 
always  makes  me  cry ;  it  is  the  saddest,  sweet 
est  love  story  that  was  ever  written.  Mallory 
does  n't  tell  the  most  pathetic  part,  though. 
I  mean  where  Launcelot  brings  Guinever  the 
seven  diamonds  he  has  spent  seven  years  win 
ning  for  her  in  the  seven  big  tournaments,  and 
she  drops  them  out  of  the  castle  window  into 
the  lake  because  she  is  jealous  of  Elaine.  It  is 
natural  and  like  the  passionate  woman  she  is, 
but  it  does  seem  such  a  needless  waste, — I 
don't  mean  so  much  of  the  diamonds  as  of 
Launcelot's  devotion.  It  always  makes  me 
feel  so  badly.  Poor  Launcelot !  l  the  truest 
lover  of  a  sinful  man  that  ever  loved 
woman  ! ' 

"  That  was  Tennyson's  version,  was  n't  it  ?  " 
Hugo  asked.  "  How  one  longs  to  put  that 
prig  of  an  Arthur  out  of  the  way ! "  he 
continued.  "  He  was  always  de  trop" 

"  Do  you  suppose  they  would  have  loved 
each  other  so  much  if  they  could  have  done 


88  Her  Majesty. 

it  before  all  the  world  ?  "  Honoria  said.  Hugo 
shook  his  head. 

"  I  should  like  to  believe  so,  but  I  am  afraid 
not." 

"  You  skeptical  person,"  remonstrated  Ho 
noria,  still  wiping  her  eyes.  "  I  don't  agree 
with  you  at  all.  I  am  sure  such  love  as  they 
felt  for  each  other  is  immortal  and  unchange 
able.  Just  think  how  honorable  Launcelot 
was,  and  of  what  a  love  it  must  have  been 
that  made  him  disloyal  to  Arthur,  his  friend, 
who  trusted  him  above  all  the  Knights  of  the 
Round  Table." 

"  Well,  perhaps  I  was  posing,"  Hugo  ad 
mitted  frankly,  "  for  in  the  bottom  of  my 
heart,  after  you  get  through  the  layers  of 
wordly  wisdom,  I  do  believe  in  such  things." 

"  Such  things  are  very  nice,"  Honoria  said, 
pointedly.  Hugo's  face  lit  up.  He  sat  up 
again.  "And  so  would  be  something  to  eat," 
she  went  on  prudently.  "  I  don't  know  about 
you,  Hugo  ;  but  I  am  starved,  and  I  don't  sup 
pose  there  is  a  thing  to  eat,  except  toad-stools, 
in  all  this  park."  Hugo  rose  to  his  feet, 
saying : 

"  I  know  where  a  bread-fruit  tree  grows,  and 


In  the  Park.  89 

I  am  going  to  gather  some.  You  stay  with 
your  missus,  Sunny,  '  precious  lambkin.' ' 
He  was  gone  before  Honoria  could  do  more 
than  fling  a  dry  twig  at  him,  and  grab  Sunny, 
who  seemed  inclined  to  follow  in  spite  of  the 
prohibition. 

In  about  fifteen  minutes  he  came  back,  a 
basket  on  his  arm  and  her  sunbonnet  in  his 
hand. 

"  Well,  fairy  godmother,  I  have  outdone  you 
in  your  own  line.  I  have  conjured  up  your 
sunbonnet  out  of  a  clump  of  blue  flowers; 
and  what  do  you  think  of  this  ?  "  He  took 
the  napkin  off  the  top  of  the  basket  and  dis 
closed  a  cold  chicken,  some  bread  and  butter, 
big  red  strawberries  and  a  bottle  of  wine  cov 
ered  with  cobwebs.  "  Here,  Sunny,  you 
young  anaconda,  you  are  not  invited  to  par 
take  yet  a  while.  You  belong  to  the  second 
table.  Your  missus  will  have  to  hold  you 
while  I  serve  the  repast." 

"  I  suppose  I  must  n't  ask  where  you  got 
these  attractive  looking  supplies,"  Honoria 
remarked,  trying  to  restrain  Sunny,  who  was 
one  ecstatic  wiggle,  to  her  lap. 

"/don't  make  unnecessary  mysteries,"  Hugo 


90  Her  Majesty. 

said  piously.  "  The  old  woman  in  charge  at 
the  castle  is  an  old  friend  of  mine,  and  this 
is  n't  the  first  time  that  she  has  shown  me  favor. 
See,  the  forks  have  the  Waldeck  crest  on 
them." 

"  The  same  that  is  on  your  watch,"  Honoria 
said,  with  assumed  carelessness,  not  looking  at 
her  companion. 

"  I  told  Mrs.  Banner  I  had  a  friend  with  me 
to  whom  I  should  like  to  show  the  castle,  and 
she  said  to  bring  you  along,"  he  went  on,  with 
out  noticing  her  remark.  "  Should  you  like  to 
see  it  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  I  should.  I  have  always  heard 
that  it  was  beautiful,  but  that  it  was  almost  im 
possible  to  get  permission.  I  don't  know  that 
I  had  better  go,  though,"  she  broke  off.  Hugo 
laughed. 

"  I  suppose  you  are  thinking  of  les  conve 
nances  ;  but  I  am  afraid  it  is  rather  late  in  the 
day  to  consider  those.  Besides,  you  won't  see 
a  soul  except  Mrs.  Banner.  One  of  the  keepers 
sleeps  there  at  night,  but  she  is  all  alone  in  the 
daytime ;  and  she  is  the  dearest,  most  benevo 
lent  old  soul,  She  has  a  very  exalted  opinion 
of  me,  poor  woman  ;  and  accepts  anything  I  do 


In  the  Park.  91 

as  the  only  possible  and  the  best  possible  thing 
to  do.  If  you  were  in  ballet  costume  instead 
of  these  most  respectable  garments,  her  only 
thought  would  be  of  how  good  it  would  be  for 
you  to  have  such  a  virtuous  companion.  Poor 
woman,  she  has  seen  some  such  questionable 
proceedings  at  the  castle  in  the  old  days  that 
any  man  who  prefers  to  lead  a  decent  life  is 
an  angel  from  heaven  to  her.  You  'd  better 
come." 

"  All  right,  I  will.  How  good  this  bread  and 
butter  is  !  I  am  so  glad  that  I  came  into  the 
park  to-day  and  that  I  met  you !  " 

"  So  am  I,"  Hugo  declared  emphatically, 
"  and  so  is  Sunny.  You  like  chicken  bones, 
don't  you,  '  darlin'  Sunnykins  '  ?  " 

"  If  you  don't  stop  making  fun  of  me,  I  '11  do 
something  undignified,"  Honoria  threatened. 

"  I  wish  you  would  !  " 

"  Well,  I  won't  then.  You  're  the  queerest 
boy,  Hugo,  do  you  know  it  ? 

"  Boy !  I  like  that !  I  'm  nearly  twenty- 
eight." 

"  I  don't  care  if  you're  fifty-eight." 

"  I  'm  several  years  older  than  you." 

"Are  you?     How  do  you  know  so  much?     7 


92  Her  Majesty. 

don't  remember  telling  you  anything  about  my 
age." 

"  How  old  are  you  ?  Ah,  come  now,  Nora 
Creina,  tell  me." 

"  Indeed,  I  won't  do  any  such  thing.  Besides, 
you  should  n't  interrupt  me.  I  was  going  to  say 
that  you  were  the  queerest  combination.  I 
should  n't  think  that  the  you  that  lectures  to 
the  workingmen  and  escorts  strange  women 
through  the  streets  at  night  would  have  a  speak 
ing  acquaintance  with  the  impudent  you  that 
picnics  in  parks, — likewise  with  strange  women." 

"And  I  suppose  there  is  no  difference  be 
tween  the  demure  little  hypocritical  you  that 
pretends  to  take  such  a  vital  interest  in  taxes 
and  drains  and  wages  and  the  bold,  designing 
you  that  does  her  best  to  make  strange  men  as 
unhappy  as  they  can  be?  " 

"  Hugo  !     I  am  going  home." 

"  I  take  it  back  !  I  did  n't  mean  it !  It  's 
your  misfortune  not  your  fault." 

"  If  I  thought  you  really  meant  what  you 
said,"  Honoria  began. 

"  Oh,  I  don't.  I  don't  mean  anything  that 
could  take  you  away  from  me.  Come,  let  us 
go  up  to  the  castle.  Mrs.  Banner  will  be  ex- 


In  the  Park.  93 

pecting  us,  and  will  have  put  her  second  best 
black  silk  on,  and  we  can't  let  her  go  to  that 
expense  for  nothing.  Here,  let  me  help  you 
up." 

"  What  a  beautiful  old  park  this  is  !  "  Honoria 
exclaimed,  as  they  walked  slowly  over  the  grass 
under  the  trees.  It  was  getting  late  in  the 
afternoon,  and  the  sun's  rays  came  slanting 
through  the  foliage,  not  yet  thick  enough  to 
keep  them  out. 

"  It  is  rather  nice,"  Hugo  replied. 

"  Don't  you  wish  you  owned  it?  "  she  asked, 
with  a  smile. 

"  Indeed  I  do,"  he  answered  fervently. 

"  I  think  Count  Waldeck  must  be  very  pig 
gish,"  she  went  on.  "  The  idea  of  keeping  a 
huge  piece  of  ground  like  this,  right  on  the  edge 
of  the  city,  for  the  use  of  one  person  who  is 
never  here!  If  you  ever  meet  him,  I  wish  you 
would  tell  him  so  with  my  compliments." 

"  With  whose  compliments  did  you  say  ?  "  he 
asked  significantly. 

"  Nora  Creina's,"  she  answered  demurely, 
"  Don't  you  think  yourself  it  is  very  selfish  ?  " 

"  I  should  say  I  did  ;  and  if  I  ever  meet 
Count  Waldeck  face  to  face,  I  will  tell  him  so. 


94  Her  Majesty. 

I  will  open  his  eyes  to  his  duty.  I  have  no 
doubt  he  is  making  weak  excuses  to  himself 
about  the  length  of  time  it  has  been  in  the 
family,  and  whether  he  does  n't  owe  it  to  future 
Waldecks,  and  the  possible  misuse  that  any 
trustees  or  public  officials  might  make  of  it. 
Why,  they  might  cut  down  the  trees  and  run 
up  blocks  of  tenements,  and  it  is  almost  hope 
less  trying  to  impose  conditions  that  cannot  be 
got  around." 

"  Oh,  I  did  n't  mean  to  give  it,  only  lend  it," 
said  Honoria,  trying  not  to  laugh. 

"  But  that  would  n't  secure  it  to  the  people 
for  ever  ;  and  it  would  be  dreadful  for  them  to 
have  to  give  it  up  after  they  had  once  had  it. 
No,  I  think  he  ought  to  give  it,  and  I  'd  like 
to  help  him  make  up  his  mind  to  do  it." 

"  Of  course  the  people  would  enjoy  the  free 
dom  and  the  space,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing," 
she  went  on,  changing  her  tack,  "  but  how  lit 
tle  appreciation  they  would  have  of  the  exquis- 
iteness  of  it  all.  Do  you  think  they  would  even 
see  the  grey  lichens  on  that  oak  tree  over 
there?" 

"I  don't  agree  with  you,"  said  Hugo.  "I 
think  that  ignorant  people  often  have  a  great 


In  the  Park.  95 

appreciation  of  certain  kinds  of  natural  beauty ? 
of  the  woodsy  kind  especially  ;  or  why  else  do 
they  flock  to  every  bit  of  wood  around  a  city, 
and  spoil  it  with  their  eggshells  and  beer  bot 
tles  ?  They  always  choose  the  prettiest  spot, 
too.  And  children — I  can  remember  how  I 
loved  a  brook  and  ferns  and  trees  before  I  had 
the  slightest  recognition  of  the  beauty  of  a 
mountain  or  a  moor,  or  of  a  picture  either.  All 
the  same,  I  don't  wonder  Count  Waldeck  finds 
it  hard  to  give  this  up.  I  should  if  I  were  he/' 

"  Well,  don't  forget  my  message  to  him," 
Honoria  added,  longing  to  ask  him  if  he  knew 
him,  but  feeling  that  it  would  n't  be  fair.  So  it 
was  he  that  asked  her  instead  : 

"  Did  you  ever  meet  him  ?  " 

"Yes  ;  I  met  him  years  ago." 

"  You  did  ?  When  was  that  ?  Tell  me 
about  it." 

"  No  ;  I  don't  think  I  will." 

"  And  you  won't  tell  me  about  the  first  time 
you  met  me  either,  you  provoking  Sphinx." 

"If  my  language  were  not  always  of  the 
properest,  I  should  say  '  do  let  up  on  that/ " 
she  answered. 

The  castle  was  magnificent — of  a  magnificence 


g  6  Her  Majesty. 

that  dated  back  several  hundred  years.  It  had 
been  disused  for  a  long  time,  the  late  Count 
Waldeck  having  taken  a  dislike  to  the  place  and 
bringing  up  his  family  in  foreign  lands;  but 
everything  was  kept  in  perfect  repair. 

"  To  think  that  I  might  have  missed  this  !  " 
Honoria  exclaimed,  as  she  walked  through  the 
quaint  old  apartments  with  Hugo  and  Mrs. 
Banner. 

"  Now  show  the  young  lady  the  picture  gal 
lery,  Mrs.  Banner,  while  I  look  up  something  I 
want  to  find  out  here,"  said  Hugo,  when  they 
had  inspected  all  the  principal  rooms,  and  were 
just  leaving  the  library. 

The  pictures  were  chiefly  family  portraits. 
Honoria  looked  at  them  without  much  interest, 
hardly  listening  to  the  housekeeper's  stones, 
until  they  came  to  the  portrait  of  a  singularly 
handsome  man  in  more  modern  clothing,  evi 
dently  by  a  master  hand. 

"  Who  is  that  ?  "  she  asked  abruptly,  cutting 
short  the  old  woman's  narrative. 

"  That  is  the  late  Count  Waldeck,  the  present 
Count's  father,"  she  replied.  Honoria  fancied 
she  looked  confused. 

"  It  is  the  perfect  image  of  Mr.  Killer,"  she 


In  the  Park.  97 

said,  calling  him  by  the  only  name  she  knew. 
The  next  second  she  would  have  given  anything 
not  to  have  spoken.  It  seemed  like  trying  to 
find  out  her  friend's  secrets,  which  she  would 
not  have  cared  to  do,  even  if  he  had  not  been 
so  chivalrous  about  her  own.  Mrs.  Banner 
hesitated  for  a  minute,  and  then  replied  in  a 
half  whisper : 

"  It  is  not  strange.  They  say  he  is  not  so 
distantly  related  to  the  late  Count,  who  was  a 
gay  young  gentleman  in  his  youth.  Poor 
young  gentleman!  It  is  nothing  to  his  dis 
credit,  though  many  folks  would  take  it  to  be 
so." 

"  No,  of  course  not,"  Honoria  assented,  very 
much  surprised  at  what  she  had  learned  ;  for 
she  had  jumped  at  the  conclusion  that  her 
mysterious  friend  was  Count  Waldeck  himself. 
And  now  she  smiled  at  the  vividness  of  her 
imagination  that  had  made  her  see  confirma 
tion  of  her  suspicions  in  his  manner  when  he 
talked  about  giving  the  Count  his  opinion  about 
the  park.  Probably,  he  had  only  been  a  little 
conscious  of  the  relationship.  Still,  this  ex 
planation  gave  the  key  to  much  that  had  been 
incomprehensible.  It  was  not  strange  that  he 

7 


98  Her  Majesty. 

had  taken  up  with  the  working  classes.  A 
great  pity  came  over  her  as  she  thought  of  his 
position.  She  remembered  now  that  he  had 
several  times  spoken  of  "  the  name  I  bear  "  and 
not  "  my  name,"  as  would  have  been  natural. 
Did  he,  she  wondered,  bear  that  of  Waldeck? 
She  had  only  a  moment  to  think  of  her  dis 
covery  before  Hugo  himself  joined  them,  and 
they  started  to  walk  through  the  park  together 
to  the  seven  beeches,  where  she  had  stipulated 
he  should  leave  her.  The  new-born  pity  she 
felt  for  him  made  her  kinder  and  more  accessi 
ble  than  ever  before.  As  they  parted,  she 
agreed  to  make  one  more  expedition  with  him 
the  next  night  to  a  political  meeting. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A  NARROW   ESCAPE. 

"  T   T    7  ELL,    my    mysterious    friend,    the 

V    v         woman    in    the    blue    sunbonnet, 

how  do  you  feel  to-day  after  the 

dissipation   of    yesterday?"     It   was   the   next 

night,  and   Honoria  had   just  joined    Hugo   in 

front  of  the  North  Gate. 

"  Very  well,  I  thank  you,  sir.  What  are  you 
going  to  do  with  me  to-night?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  prove  to  you  how  completely 
I  trust  you  by  taking  you  to  a  secret  session  of 
a  political  club  to  which  I  belong, — a  very 
different  thing  from  the  meetings  you  have  been 
to  before.  I  suppose  I  ought  not  to,  knowing 
nothing  of  your  antecedents  ;  but  I  never  can 
help  acting  on  my  own  beliefs.  I  asked  per 
mission  to  bring  a  safe  friend.  There  will  be 
one  or  two  other  women  there." 

"  I  will  tell  you  one  thing,  Hugo,  and  I  want 
99 


J.oo  Her  Majesty. 

you  to  remember  it.  No  matter  who  or  what  I 
am,  nothing  I  learn  shall  ever  be  turned  to  the 
people's  disadvantage.  My  one  desire  is  their 
welfare."  She  said  this  with  a  truly  queenly 
air.  She  had  almost  said  "  my  people." 

"  I  knew  that  without  your  telling  me,"  he 
answered,  leading  the  way  down  a  narrow  alley 
that  opened  on  the  side  street  on  which  they 
had  been  walking.  Out  of  this  was  a  court, 
dark  and  ill-smelling.  Hugo  knocked  four  times 
at  a  door  at  the  bottom  of  this,  and  when  it 
was  opened  a  crack,  said  something  in  too  low 
a  voice  for  Honoria  to  catch  his  words.  The 
door  was  opened  enough  to  admit  them.  It  was 
so  dark  inside  that  she  saw  no  one,  only  heard 
steps  on  the  loose  boards  in  front  of  them. 
Hugo  turned  and  took  her  hand  and  led  her 
down  a  long  passage,  with  the  manner  of  one 
familiar  with  the  place.  His  strong,  warm  clasp 
was  very  reassuring.  He  opened  a  door  at  the 
rear  and  led  her  into  a  room  half  full  of  peo 
ple, — for  the  most  part  men.  The  air  was  warm 
and  close,  the  odors  of  our  masters,  the  great 
unwashed,  mingling  with  bad  tobacco  and  stale 
onions.  Honoria  felt  a  little  faint,  and  whis 
pered  a  request  to  Hugo  to  sit  by  the  window. 


A  Narrow  'Escape. : '  \  \ '.     t  \  i  o^ 

The  business  of  the  evening  had  begun  ;  and 
a  short,  slight  man,  with  a  lame  leg,  was  holding 
forth  on  the  subject  of  their  political  grievances. 
The  substance  was  much  the  same  as  she  had 
heard  at  the  open  meetings,  but  the  manner 
was  different,  more  impassioned,  and  the 
charges  more  specific.  The  threats  used  were 
definite  instead  of  vague,  and  hints  were  given 
of  a  resort  to  arms  if  milder  measures  were  not 
successful  in  bringing  about  a  better  condition 
of  affairs.  All  eyes  had  been  turned  on  Hugo 
from  the  moment  he  entered  the  room  ;  and 
when  the  lame  man  sat  down,  shouts  of  "  Hiller" 
arose.  He  got  up  and  said  that  he  preferred  to 
speak  later  if  they  did  not  mind.  He  wanted 
to  hear  what  the  others  had  to  say  first.  It  was 
a  strange  experience  for  Honoria.  He  seemed 
to  have  gone  back  from  her  friend  Hugo  of  the 
past  week  into  the  Hiller  of  her  earlier  acquaint 
ance.  It  seemed  as  if  they  must  be  two  people. 
She  could  hardly  believe  that  this  was  the  man 
she  had  been  so  intimate  with  the  day  before, 
who  had  teased  her  about  the  nonsense  she 
talked  to  Sunny  and  made  affectionate  fun  of 
her  in  various  ways. 

There  were  many  speakers,  all  of  them  vehe 


J-02  Her  Majesty. 

ment  and  excited,  but  Honoria  paid  slight 
attention,  though  they  were  talking  of  that 
which  she  was  most  desirous  to  learn,  until 
Hugo  rose  to  his  feet.  She  felt  a  vague,  though 
acute,  jealousy  of  the  close  attention  they  paid 
him,  and  also  of  the  deep  interest  he  seemed  to 
take  in  the  evening's  proceedings.  He  had  so 
much  in  life  that  was  not  hers.  He  began  by 
saying  that  they  knew  he  was  not  entirely  in 
sympathy  with  them  ;  they  had  known  it  when 
they  admitted  him  to  their  club.  Under  no 
circumstances  did  he  believe  in  violence.  If 
the  people  were  only  determined  and  united, 
they  could  get  anything  that  was  reasonable  by 
peaceful  means.  They,  the  members  of  the 
club,  were  men  of  thought  and  reason,  but  did 
they  think  it  safe  to  rouse  unthinking  animals 
like  the  mass  of  the  people  ?  Then  he  spoke  of 
the  French  Revolution,  and  gave  some  details 
of  the  misuse  of  power  and  the  dangers  of  a 
popular  uprising  that  made  Honoria  shiver. 
The  audience  listened  while  he  spoke,  evidently 
convinced  against  their  will.  She  felt  instinc 
tively  that  this  conviction  was  only  temporary. 
They  would  swing  back  to  their  original  one  as 
soon  as  they  were  out  from  under  the  influence 


A  Narrow  Escape.  103 

of  his  personal  magnetism.  There  was  some, 
thing  inspiring  in  his  noble,  clear-cut  features, 
his  smile  that  was  not  confined  to  his  mouth, 
the  lighting  up  of  his  eyes,  his  clear,  resonant 
voice,  and  eager,  impulsive  manner.  Honoria 
felt  for  the  moment  that  he  could  make  her  be 
lieve  anything  on  this  earth,  persuade  her  to 
any  conceivable  step  ;  and  something  inside  her 
seemed  to  drop  as  she  thought  that  to-night 
was,  in  all  human  probability,  the  last  time  she 
should  come  under  the  influence  of  his  charm. 
To-morrow  she  would  go  back  to  the  Palace 
and  take  up  the  irksome  round  of  court  eti 
quette,  which  she  had  been  so  glad  to  get  away 
from  while  having  no  suspicion  of  the  miracle 
that  was  to  take  place  in  a  short  fortnight's 
absence.  Baron  Hausman  refused  to  be  put  off 
any  longer. 

It  was  getting  very  late,  but  Hugo  was  still 
speaking  to  an  enraptured  audience  when  a 
noise  was  heard  in  the  passage  outside, — a  com 
motion,  the  clanking  of  arms,  and  the  sound  of 
heavy  boots.  All  rose  to  their  feet  in  alarm. 
Hugo  stopped  and  turned  his  head  as  the  door 
opened  and  three  or  four  soldiers,  headed  by  a 
corporal,  marched  into  the  room.  The  men 


104  Her  Majesty. 

started  to  get  out  of  the  window.  The  soldiers 
Would  have  stopped  them,  but  their  chief  called 
out  to  let  them  go. 

"  They  won't  go  off  without  any  gunpowder, 
and  that  I  have  here,"  he  said  contemptuously, 
laying  his  hand  on  Hugo's  shoulder.  "  Where 
is  the  woman  ?  "  he  added  quickly ;  and  seeing 
Honoria  sitting  motionless  in  her  corner,  he 
signed  to  two  of  his  men  to  take  up  their  stand 
by  her.  It  was  hardly  a  minute  before  the 
room  was  empty  of  all  except  Hugo  and  Hono 
ria  and  the  five  soldiers. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  Hugo  demanded 
angrily  of  the  Corporal. 

"  It  means  that  the  authorities  have  had 
enough  of  your  nonsense.  I  have  a  warrant 
from  the  Governor  of  the  Citadel  for  your  arrest, 
and  that  of  the  woman  who  has  been  seen  with 
you  so  often  lately.  You  can  see  it  if  you 
don't  believe  me."  Hugo  motioned  the  paper 
impatiently  away. 

"  What  has  she  to  do  with  it  ?  Arrest  me,  if 
you  like,  but  do  not  make  an  innocent  woman 
suffer.  I  suppose  the  technical  term  for  the 
charge  is  treason,  and  I  swear  to  you  that 
she  has  had  nothing  to  do  with  any  of  the 


A  Narrow  Escape.  105 

proceedings  that  you  choose  to  call  by  that 
name." 

"  Who  is  she  then,  and  what  is  she  doing  at 
these  meetings  ?  "  asked  the  man.  Hugo  was 
silent. 

"  You  might  ask  her,"  suggested  one  of  the 
soldiers.  The  Corporal  turned  to  Honoria. 

"  Give  an  account  of  yourself,  woman.  What 
is  your  name,  and  who  are  you  ?  "  Hugo  looked 
at  her  imploringly,  but  Honoria  neither  met  his 
eyes  nor  answered. 

"  I  see,"  the  man  said  quietly.  "  I  arrest 
you,  woman,  in  the  name  of  Her  Most  Gracious 
Majesty  the  Queen,  for  plotting  against  her 
royal  person  and  power."  Honoria  rose  to  her 
feet  and  walked  over  to  Hugo,  attended  by  the 
two  soldiers. 

"  Don  't  look  so  anxious,"  she  said,  smiling. 
"  Let  us  go  with  these  men  now.  I  am  not  in 
the  least  afraid.  Nobody  who  heard  you  speak 
this  evening  could  doubt  your  innocence,  and  I 
— there  is  no  one  in  Her  Majesty's  kingdom 
less  likely  to  be  guilty  of  that  charge  than  I. 
Will  you  take  us  where  you  wish  us  to  go,  Cor 
poral."  The  man  was  evidently  impressed  by 
her  words  and  manner. 


io6  Her  Majesty. 

"I  am  sure  I  hope  it  is  a  mistake,  ma'am," 
he  said  politely. 

"  Informers  are  often  mistaken,"  she  returned 
coldly. 

"  I  was  told  that  Baron  Hausman  himself 
made  the  charge  and  asked  the  Governor  to 
order  the  arrest/'  the  man  continued. 

"  Baron  Hausman  is  not  infallible.  May  I 
trouble  you  to  ask  your  men  not  to  walk  quite 
so  close  to  me.  I  give  you  my  word  of  honor 
I  shall  make  no  attempt  to  escape." 

It  was  not  a  long  walk  to  the  Citadel,  and  the 
lateness  of  the  hour  prevented  their  being  the 
object  of  much  notice,  for  which  Honoria  was 
very  thankful.  Another  circumstance  to  be 
grateful  for  was  that  she  and  Hugo  were  left 
alone  in  the  same  room,  a  small  apartment  with 
barred  window,  a  grating  in  the  door,  and  a 
table  and  a  chair  for  furniture.  Hugo  had  not 
spoken  during  their  rapid  walk,  but  kept  his 
eyes  cast  down  on  the  ground.  He  took  no 
notice  of  Honoria's  words  when  she  said  lightly  : 

"  How  foolish  of  them  to  leave  two  conspira 
tors  alone  together !  They  ought  to  have  shut 
us  up  in  separate  cells." 

"  I  shall  never  forgive  myself  for  getting  you 


A  Narrow  Escape.  107 

into  this  scrape,"  he  broke  out  vehemently.  "  I 
ought  never  to  have  taken  you  to  that  accursed 
meeting;.  I  knew  it  all  the  time,  but  I  had  to 

o 

go  myself  and  I  wanted  you.  I  should  n't 
blame  you  if  you  never  forgave  me  either." 
Honoria  went  up  to  him  as  he  sat  on  a  corner 
of  the  table,  put  her  hand  on  his  shoulder  and 
said: 

"  My  dear  Hugo,  don't  mind  on  my  account. 
I  am  not  in  the  slightest  danger.  I  assure  you 
I  can  get  out  any  moment  I  choose.  I  prefer 
to  stay  with  you,  though." 

"  Yes,  but  you  cannot  without  some  sacrifice, 
without  telling  that  which  you  do  not  want  to 
tell,  without  your — acquaintance  with  me 
being  known.  Is  n't  that  so?"  Honoria  did 
not  answer,  but  she  still  kept  her  hand  on  his 
shoulder.  Hugo  bent  his  head  until  his  lips 
rested  on  it. 

"I  knew  it.  But  you  need  n't  do  anything 
you  don't  want  to.  I  swear  I  will  get  you  out 
the  first  thing  in  the  morning,  and  that  nobody 
shall  know  anything  more  about  you." 

"  It  is  a  slight  comfort  that  we  are  together/' 
Honoria  said  affectionately. 

"  If  I  had  n't  got  you  into  it,"  he  replied. 


io8  Her  Majesty. 

Steps  were  heard  coming  down  the  corridor 
Honoria  removed  her  hand  and  sat  down  in  the 
chair.  The  key  was  turned  in  the  lock  and  the 
Corporal  entered. 

'  The  lady  is  to  come  with  me.  Don't  be 
frightened,  ma'am.  I  am  only  going  to  take  you 
to  a  more  comfortable  place." 

"  Is  there  no  help  for  it  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  No,  ma'am,"  replied  the  man.  "It  is  the 
Governor's  own  orders." 

"  Then  leave  us  for  a  minute  alone,"  Hugo 
interposed.  "  We  can  plan  nothing  desperate 
in  an  extra  minute."  The  soldier  hesitated, 
but  Hugo's  tone  was  so  imperative  that  he 
obeyed  in  spite  of  himself,  and  moved  a  little 
way  down  the  hall,  leaving  the  door  ajar.  Hugo 
held  out  his  arms  to  Honoria. 

"  Just  this  once  to  show  me  you  forgive  me," 
he  pleaded  in  a  whisper.  She  threw  herself 
into  them.  He  pushed  her  sunbonnet  back, 
took  a  long  look  into  her  eyes,  then  kissed  her 
passionately  several  times,  releasing  her  as  the 
man  was  heard  returning. 

"  Good-by,  my  Nora  Creina,"  he  said,  in  a 
voice  full  of  repressed  feeling.  Honoria  was 
crying,  but  she  hastily  pulled  her  sunbonnet 


A  Narrow  Escape.  109 

over  her  face  and  followed  the  Corporal  with 
out  another  look  or  word. 

That  night  was  the  happiest  she  had  ever 
spent, — lying  on  the  little  hard  bed  in  the  cor 
ner  of  the  room  to  which  the  Corporal  had  con 
ducted  her.  She  tried  to  make  herself  remem 
ber  that  she  was  in  prison.  What  did  it  matter? 
Hugo  had  said  he  would  get  her  out  in  the 
morning.  She  told  herself  that  this  was  the 
beginning  of  the  end  ;  that  after  to-morrow  she 
would  never  see  him  again,  but  she  did  not 
believe  it.  Fate  had  thrown  them  together, 
and  she  was  sure  it  was  not  to  no  purpose.  It 
could  not  be  pure  blind  chance  that  had 
arranged  their  two  meetings.  There  might  be 
a  revolution  ;  she  might  be  deposed  ;  anything 
might  happen.  At  all  events,  for  this  one  night 
it  was  enough  to  know  that  they  loved  one 
another.  Finally,  she  fell  asleep  and  slept  as 
quietly  and  peacefully  as  in  her  little  bed  at  the 
convent.  It  was  hardly  light  when  she  was 
awakened  by  a  knock  at  her  door.  She  put  on 
her  sunbonnet  and  called,  "  Come  in."  The 
Corporal  entered,  and  said  in  a  most  defer- 
ential  manner: 

"  It  's   all   a   mistake,    please,    ma'am.     The 


1 10  Her  Majesty. 

Governor  says  you  are  to  go,  and  the  gentle 
man  is  waiting  for  you  outside.  Of  course,  you 
understand,  ma'am,  that  I  was  only  doing  my 
duty." 

"  I  understand,  Corporal,  only  next  time  do  it 
a  little  more  politely.  Show  me  the  way, 
please." 

Hugo  was  standing  at  the  gate  of  the  Citadel 
and  they  went  out,  unchallenged  by  the  sentry. 

"  I  suppose  you  won't  tell  me  how  you 
managed  it,"  said  Honoria,  when  they  were  in 
the  open  street. 

"No;  that  is  my  secret.  It  was  n't  hard. 
What  sort  of  a  night  did  you  have,  my  poor 
girl?" 

"You  need  n't  pity  me.  I  slept  beautifully, 
and  had  the  most  heavenly  dreams." 

"  You  are  the  pluckiest  woman  I  ever  came 
across,  my  Nora  Creina.  I  shall  never  forget 
my  feeling  on  seeing  you  plunge  into  that  mass 
of  growling,  snapping  dogs;  and  last  night, 
and  on  a  dozen  occasions.  Nothing  seems  to 
frighten  you."  Honoria  laughed  with  pleasure 
at  his  words  and  the  approbation  in  his  voice 
as  she  said  : 

"  I  could  never  see  why  it  was  n't  a  woman's 


A  Narrow  Escape.  1 1 1 

duty  to  be  brave  as  well  as  a  man's.  I  never 
could  see  the  supposed  attractiveness  of  timidity 
in  women." 

"  Nor  I,"  assented  Hugo.  They  walked  in 
silence  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  Honoria 
spoke : 

"  Hugo,  do  you  realize  that  we  have  only 
three  squares  more  to  the  North  Gate,  and 
that  this  is  the  beginning  of  the  end  ?  "  The 
laughter  had  all  gone  out  of  her  voice. 

"Do  you  mean  it — now?"  he  asked, 
soberly. 

"  Yes  ;  now  more  than  ever.  We  can't  meet 
as  simple  friends,  even  if  it  were  practicable  to 
do  so ;  so  we  can't  meet  at  all." 

It  was  early,  only  just  dawn.  An  occasional 
sunbeam  was  touching  the  chimney  tops,  but 
the  streets,  deserted  except  for  themselves, 
were  in  shadow.  Hugo  took  both  her  hands 
in  his. 

"  Nora,"  he  said,  impressively,  "  I  have  never 
asked  you  a  personal  question,  but  you  must 
answer  me  now.  Is  there  another  man  between 
us?  Was  I  taking  any  other  man's  rights  last 
night  ?  "  Honoria  looked  him  straight  in  the 
eyes. 


112  Her  Majesty. 

"  Before  God — no,  Hugo.  No  man  ever  kissed 
me  in  my  life  till  last  night." 

"  Then  why—  "  Hugo  was  beginning  passion 
ately,  but  Honoria  stopped  him. 

"  It  is  none  the  less  impossible,  and  I  assure 
you  that  it  is  an  impossibility  you  yourself 
would  be  the  first  to  recognize  if  you  knew  the 
circumstances."  He  dropped  her  hands  and 
they  walked  along  in  silence  till  they  came  to 
the  North  Gate,  which  was  now  all  in  sunshine 
except  a  little  cold  strip  at  the  bottom  where 
they  stood. 

"Will  you  say  good-by  to  me,  Hugo?  I 
cannot  stay  any  longer  !  "  Her  voice  was  full 
of  tears.  He  raised  his  eyes  and  said  quietly, 
but  with  a  purpose  that  made  Honoria's  heart 
beat  faster  with  hope : 

"  Do  not  delude  yourself  into  thinking  this  is 
the  last  of  me.  You  have  sworn  no  man  is 
between  us,  and  there  is  no  other  obstacle  I 
cannot  triumph  over.  Remember  that  it  is 
only  '  till  I  see  you  again  '  that  I  mean.  Good- 
by,  my  darling."  He  took  her  in  his  arms  once 
more  and  kissed  her.  The  next  minute  he  was 
alone  in  the  shadow  of  the  tall  gate. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  ROYAL  AUDIENCE. 

THAT  same  morning,  after  taking  a  re 
gretful  leave  of  the  Mother  Superior, 
the  Sisters,  and  the  pupils,  with  all  of 
whom  her  relations  had  been  of  the  pleasantest, 
Queen  Honoria  went  back  to  the  Palace,  greatly 
to  Nanon's  relief.  The  latter  had  not  found 
her  stay  at  the  convent  so  enjoyable  as  she  had 
expected  to.  Her  young  mistress  had  been 
absent-minded  and  not  at  all  companionable, 
and  her  frequent  and  prolonged  absences  were 
a  source  of  anxiety ;  for  Nanon  had  a  firm  be 
lief  that  the  responsibility  of  the  kingdom  in 
general  and  the  Queen  in  particular  rested  on 
her  old  shoulders. 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  Your  Majesty  safe 

back  at  the  Palace,"  she  began   severely,  when 

the  carriage    was  rolling  through  the  streets. 

The  Queen  had  been  staring  out  the  window, 

8  113 


1 1 4  Her  Majesty. 

recognizing  various  spots  and  losing  herself  in 
the  memories  they  severally  called  up,  but  she 
turned  her  head  as  Nanon  spoke.  Nanon  never 
stood  on  ceremony  in  regard  to  waiting  until 
she  was  spoken  to. 

"  Poor  old  Nanon  !  I  am  a  terrible  anxiety 
to  you,  and  I  am  afraid  I  always  shall  be.  You 
and  I  were  never  made  to  understand  each  other, 
and  it  is  a  strange  chance  that  has  made  us  pass 
our  lives  together."  Nanon  melted,  as  she 
always  did,  at  the  slightest  concession  on  the 
part  of  her  royal  mistress.  Usually  her  griev 
ances  were  met  with  good-natured  ridicule. 

"  I  should  n't  be  that  presumptuous,  Madam  ; 
and  I  once  gave  that  airy  Mile,  von  Ettersberg 
a  piece  of  my  mind  when  she  declared  she 
could  read  you  like  a  book.  I  told  her  I  had 
been  with  Your  Majesty  twenty-three  years, 
seven  months,  and  twelve  days,  and  that  I 
should  n't  venture  to  make  such  a  statement." 

"  Well,  Nanon,  some  time  you  shall  tell  me 
what  you  don't  understand  about  me.  I  am 
too  tired  now  to  listen." 

"And  I  should  think  Your  Majesty  had  a 
good  right  to  be,"  Nanon  remarked  reprov 
ingly. 


A  Royal  Audience.  1 1 5 

The  Queen  was  met  by  the  news  that  Baron 
Hausman  had  sent  to  request  an  audience  with 
Her  Majesty  as  soon  as  she  returned. 

"  Very  well.  I  will  see  him  directly,"  she 
answered  wearily,  "  and  have  it  over  with,"  she 
added  to  herself.  The  Baron  had  a  number  of 
reports  to  make  on  the  condition  of  affairs,  all 
more  or  less  unfavorable,  but  glossed  over  and 
twisted  about,  as  the  Queen  now  saw,  by  some 
thing  that  was  not  the  truth.  She  astonished 
the  Baron  by  some  of  her  comments  :  they  came 
too  unpleasantly  near  the  facts  of  the  case. 
When  she  had  signed  the  papers  he  had 
brought  her,  he  asked  her  if  she  remembered  his 
speaking  to  her  of  a  young  agitator  named  Hiller. 
Her  Majesty  thought  she  did,  and  the  Baron 
went  on  to  say  that  he  had  ordered  the  Gov 
ernor  of  the  Citadel  to  have  him  arrested  ;  but 
when  he  went  to  the  Citadel  to  interview  him 
himself  that  morning,  the  Governor  had  failed 
to  produce  him,  and  had  given  some  flimsy  ex 
cuse  about  lack  of  evidence.  He,  Hausman, 
was  not  a  man  to  stand  this,  and  he  had  given 
positive  orders  that  the  man  was  to  be  re-ar 
rested.  The  Governor  had  promised  to  obey, 
but  had  just  sent  him  a  message  to  say  that 


1 1 6  Her  Majesty. 

Hiller  had  left  town  for  a  month.  Her  Majesty 
breathed  a  sigh  of  relief,  which  she  explained  by 
saying : 

"  I  am  very  tired  now,  Baron.  Will  you 
kindly  leave  unimportant  matters  of  this  na 
ture  until  next  time." 

"  Your  Majesty  does  not  look  so  refreshed 
as  I  expected  to  find  her  after  her  fortnight's 
seclusion,"  said  the  Baron. 

"  I  did  n't  sleep  last  night, —  that  is  all.  I  as 
sure  you  it  has  done  me  a  world  of  good." 

The  Queen  did  not  know  what  to  do  in  re 
gard  to  Hiller.  She  could  not  give  positive 
orders  that  he  was  not  to  be  arrested  unless  she 
gave  some  good  and  sufficient  reason.  Still,  a 
month  was  a  long  time  ;  anything  might  happen 
in  it ;  she  would  not  worry  so  far  ahead.  It  was 
a  relief  to  know  that  Hugo  was  away  and  in 
safety.  Besides  the  temptation  to  defy  all 
risks  and  go  to  him  would  not  be  so  great  as 
when  she  knew  where  he  was  to  be  found.  He 
had  spoken  of  going  away  for  a  little,  but  in 
such  a  vague  way  that  she  had  not  supposed  he 
meant  immediately. 

That  afternoon  Her  Majesty  gave  orders  that 
she  was  not  to  be  disturbed.  No  sooner  was 


A  Royal  Audience.  1 1  7 

she  alone  than  she  went  to  her  private  bookcase 
and  took  down  a  book,  worn  with  much  read 
ing.  She  turned  to  the  title  page  and  read 
again  and  again  some  words  written  there,  pass 
ing  her  finger  over  each  individual  letter.  Then 
she  put  the  book  under  her  cheek  for  a  pillow, 
and  went,  to  sleep  there  in  front  of  the  window 
looking  out  on  the  royal  park.  It  was  late 
when  she  awoke,  and  one  of  her  ladies  in  wait 
ing  was  standing  beside  her  to  tell  her  that  it 
was  time  to  dress  for  dinner  and  the  magnifi 
cent  court  ball  that  was  to  follow. 

Her  Majesty  had  never  looked  or  appeared 
better,  they  said,  than  she  did  that  evening  in 
her  satin  gown  with  its  blaze  of  diamonds.  She 
was  very  gracious  and  kindly — more  so  than  she 
was  accustomed  to  be.  The  courtiers  noticed 
that  she  was  particularly  cordial  to  the  Governor 
of  the  Citadel,  who  was  relieved  to  find  that 
Hausman's  displeasure  did  not  include  that  of 
his  royal  mistress. 

One  morning,  three  weeks  later,  the  Queen 
was  coming  in  from  a  walk  in  the  park,  accom 
panied  by  two  of  her  ladies  and  Sunny,  when 
she  was  met  by  Baron  Hausman  himself,  who 
demanded  an  interview. 


1 1 8  Her  Majesty. 

"  I  will  not  keep  Your  Majesty  but  a  minute 
or  two,"  he  explained.  So  she  led  the  way  into 
a  small  reception-room  near  at  hand. 

"  Now  what  is  it,  Baron  ?  "  she  asked,  not  at 
all  prepared  for  the  bombshell  that  followed. 

"  Hiller  is  arrested,"  he  said,  abruptly.  "  I 
did  n't  trust  the  Governor,  as  I  saw  he  had  some 
private  reason  for  not  doing  it,  so  I  put  men  of 
my  own  on  the  track.  He  is  in  the  Citadel  now, 
and  I  have  just  been  interviewing  him.  He 
positively  denies  any  implication  in  a  con 
spiracy,  as  he  naturally  would  do." 

"  Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  him, 
now  you  have  him  ?  "  asked  the  Queen,  recover 
ing  her  composure.  The  Baron  coughed  and 
cleared  his  throat  several  times  before  he 
answered  : 

"  I  thought  if  Your  Majesty  would  deign  to 
see  him." 

"  I  see  him  ?  What  earthly  good  would  that 
do?" 

"  I  could  n't  exactly  offer  the  fellow  money ; 
there  was  something  about  him  that  prevented 
me  from  doing  it  ;  but  I  thought — I  thought  if 
Your  Majesty  would  talk  to  him  and  be  kind 
and  gracious  to  him,  as  no  one  knows  how  to  do 


A  Royal  Audience.  1 1 9 

so  well  as  Your  Majesty,  he  might  be  induced 
to  think  that  queens  were  not  such  a  bad  insti 
tution  after  all." 

"  Ah,  I  see/'  said  Her  Majesty,  slowly.  "  My 
self  the  woman  is  to  do  a  little  business  for  my 
self  the  Queen  !  I  do  not  know  that  I  should 
care  to  do  that,  Baron.  I  will  see  this  man, 
however,  if  you  wish,  if  I  can  see  him  absolutely 
alone." 

"  That  is,  of  course,  as  Your  Majesty 
chooses,"  replied  the  Baron,  greatly  pleased, 
and  thinking  he  had,  for  once,  gained  his  point. 
"  I  will  go  and  bring  him  here  in  my  carriage 
immediately — if  Your  Majesty  is  willing  to  re 
ceive  him  now." 

"  Very  well.  I  shall  be  ready  to  receive  him 
in  half  an  hour.  In  the  throne  room,  Baron, 
and  remember,  no  one  is  to  come  in  with  him. 
I  have  a  little  plan  of  my  own.  Give  me  fifteen 
minutes  before  you  join  us." 

The  Queen  smiled  sadly  to  herself  as  she 
went  upstairs,  thinking  : 

"  Baron  Hausman  thinks  he  has  found  out  a 
feminine  weakness  in  me ;  but  what  do  I  care  ? 
I  am  going  to  see  him — to  see  him."  Sunny 
came  jumping  to  meet  her,  and  she  caught  him 


1 20  Her  Majesty. 

up  in  her  arms  and  gave  him  a  hug  while  she 
whispered  the  great  news  to  him. 

Queen  Honoria  was  standing  at  one  end  of 
the  throne  room  in  the  most  beautiful  every-day 
attire  that  even  a  queen  can  wear.  A  throne- 
like  chair  was  waiting  for  her  on  a  dais.  To 
look  at  her  air  of  calm  stateliness,  no  one  would 
have  dreamed  how  fast  her  heart  was  beating 
underneath  that  composed  and  dignified  exte 
rior.  Presently  the  portiere  at  the  bottom  of 
the  room  was  pushed  aside,  and  a  tall  figure  in 
workingman's  clothes  entered.  He  bowed,  but 
did  not  raise  his  head  till  he  was  within  a  few 
feet  of  where  the  Queen  was  standing.  She 
watched  him  walk  slowly  up  the  room. 

"  Hugo,"  she  said,  quietly.  At  the  sound  of 
her  voice  he  raised  his  eyes.  A  flash  of  incred 
ulous  joy  lit  up  his  whole  face  as  he  exclaimed  : 

"  Nora  !  Is  it  really  you  ?  I  thought  I  was 
to  see  the  Queen,  but  I  see  only  the  queen  of 
my  heart." 

11  You  are  going  to  see  her,  but  won't  you 
shake  hands  with  Nora  first  ?  " 

"You  are  one  of  her  ladies?"  Before  Ho 
noria  could  answer,  a  little  white  dog  rushed 
into  the  room  and  flung  himself  upon  him  in  a 


A  Royal  Audience.  \  2 1 

paroxysm  of  joy.  He  was  closely  followed  by 
a  breathless  page,  who  apologized  to  his 
mistress : 

"  Your  Majesty  must  excuse  me,  but  Sunny 
found  this  glove  and  insisted  on  coming  in  here. 
He  got  away  from  me." 

"  Take  him  out  into  the  garden,  Oscar,  and 
keep  him  there.  Give  the  gentleman  his  glove." 
Sunny  was  very  reluctant,  but  Oscar  was 
stronger  than  he.  It  was  a  mystery  he  never 
solved  to  his  satisfaction  why  his  old  friend  and 
playmate  Hugo  was  so  distant  to  him  on  this 
memorable  occasion.  Even  his  mistress  did  not 
have  a  word  to  throw  at  a  dog.  Hugo  waited 
until  the  page  had  gone,  then  he  said  calmly  : 

"  So  this  is  the  mystery  ?  I  suppose  I  was 
very  stupid  not  to  guess  it.  Has  Your  Majesty 
any  commands  for  me  ?  " 

"  Hugo  !  Don't  speak  to  me  that  way,"  the 
Queen  implored.  "  Is  my  offence  unfor 
givable  ?  " 

"  There  can  be  no  question  of  forgiveness  be 
tween  the  Queen  and  one  of  the  humblest  of 
her  subjects."  Her  Majesty  stood  there  blushing 
and  trembling  like  an  every-day  girl  while  Hugo 
stood  calmly  before  her, waiting  for  his  dismissal. 


122  Her  Majesty. 

"  Hugo,"  she  said  at  length,  "  do  you,  is  it 
possible  you  think  I  would  betray  anything  I 
learned  through  you  ?  If  I  knew  I  were  to  be 
deposed  to-morrow,  I  should  not  take  one  step 
to  prevent  it  so  long  as  it  was  through  you  I 
heard  it."  Hugo  hesitated,  then  said,  frankly  : 

"  I  only  wish  I  could  believe  it.  No,  my 
Queen,  I  have  no  quarrel  with  Your  Majesty." 
He  laid  an  almost  imperceptible  emphasis  on 
the  last  two  words. 

"  But  you  have  with  Nora,"  said  the  Queen, 
half  to  herself.  At  this  moment  the  Baron  en 
tered  the  room. 

"  Well,  Your  Majesty,"  he  began,  cheerfully, 
"  has  Your  Majesty  succeeded  in  persuading 
this  young  agitator  that  we  are  not  so  black  as 
we  are  painted  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  tried  to,  my  Lord,"  the  Queen 
answered  shortly,  while  Hugo  said  : 

"  I  told  your  Lordship  before,  and  I  will 
repeat  it  in  the  presence  of  Her  Majesty,  that  I 
am  one  of  the  most  loyal  of  Her  Majesty's  sub 
jects.  All  I  wish  to  do  is  to  help  the  people  to 
a  little  better  way  of  living,  to  awake  them 
from  their  indifference  to  a  rational,  healthy 
interest  in  politics.  I  steadily  use  my  influence 


A  Royal  Audience.  123 

against  all  changes  that  are  not  to  be  brought 
about  in  accordance  with  the  law  and  custom  of 
the  land.  I  am  not  afraid  to  say,  even  here,  that 
there  are  tremendous  abuses,  great  oppression, 
that  I  should  like  to  see  put  right,  but  not  by 
revolutionary  methods.  That,  Your  Majesty, 
is  my  political  code." 

"  I  see  you  are  a  very  determined  young 
man,"  said  the  Baron,  patronizingly.  "  I  think 
we  shall  have  to  send  you  back  to  the  Citadel 
for  the  night,  at  all  events,  and  then  we  shall 
see — we  shall  see.  Does  this  plan  meet  with 
Your  Majesty's  approval  ?  " 

"  I  see  no  reason  why  Mr.  Hiller  should  not 
be  set  at  liberty  immediately,  Baron  Hausman. 
I  see  nothing  in  his  political  code  that  menaces 
the  state.  I  am  sure  we  ourselves  would  be 
very  glad  to  see  abuses  rectified  in  a  rational 
manner." 

"  If  Your  Majesty  will  excuse  me,  I  should 
prefer  to  let  his  Lordship  have  time  to  fully  in 
vestigate  the  charges  against  me,  so  that  when 
he  sets  me  free,  I  may  be  certain  that  I  shall  not 
be  deprived  of  my  liberty  again." 

"As  you  please,  Mr.  Hiller,"  the  Queen  replied 
coldly, dismissing  her  companions  with  a  gesture. 


1 24  Her  Majesty. 

The  Governor  of  the  Citadel  was  more  im 
pressed  than  ever  with  the  Queen's  cordiality 
that  evening  at  the  state  reception  held  at  the 
Palace.  It  was  doubly  welcome  to  him,  for  he 
had  a  communication  to  make  to  her  and  a 
favor  to  ask.  He  requested  a  few  minutes' 
audience  on  a  private  matter  that  needed  im 
mediate  attention. 

"  You  can  speak  to  me  here,  Your  Excel 
lency,"  said  Her  Majesty,  stationing  one  of  her 
pages  to  see  that  they  were  not  interrupted. 

"  I  have  been  trying  to  make  up  my  mind 
whether  it  was  best  to  tell  Your  Majesty  some 
thing,"  the  Governor  began,  "  but  Your  Majes 
ty's  kindness  to  me  has  emboldened  me  to  do 
it.  This  young  Hiller  who  was  brought  to  the 
Palace  yesterday, — does  Your  Majesty  know 
who  he  really  is  ?  "  The  Queen  hesitated. 

"  I  have  heard  he  was  a  son  of  the  late  Count 
Waldeck,"  she  said. 

"  He  was  the  only  son,  and  is  the  present 
Count  Waldeck." 

"  Do  you  know  that  positively?"  she  in 
quired. 

"  He  told  me  so  himself  the  first  time  I  had 
him  arrested  on  Baron  Hausman's  orders.  Of 


A  Royal  Audience.  125 

course  I  released  him — and  his  companion — 
immediately." 

"  I  heard  there  was  something  irregular  about 
his  birth,"  said  the  Queen. 

"  Not  at  all,  Your  Majesty.  His  mother  was 
the  late  Countess  Waldeck.  I  heard  that  ru 
mor,  too,  and  asked  the  Count  about  it.  He 
said  he  had  told  the  few  people  who  knew  his 
secret  to  explain  away  in  that  manner  his  like 
ness  to  his  father  in  case  any  one  commented 
on  it.  It  is  a  most  striking  resemblance.  I 
knew  the  late  Count,  and  noticed  it  myself  im 
mediately  at  a  workingmen's  meeting  I  at 
tended.  It  was  there  that  I  heard  this  rumor." 

"  Then  what  made  him  take  to  his  present 
mode  of  life  ?" 

"  He  has  always  had  democratic  ideas,  he 
tells  me  ;  and  after  his  father's  death,  he  came 
back  here,  intending  to  try  to  do  something 
for  the  people.  He  was  going  to  lecture  and 
establish  clubs  and  get  others  interested.  But 
he  had  no  idea  they  were  so  ignorant  as  they 
are  ;  and  he  found  such  an  intense  hatred  of 
the  aristocracy  among  them  that  he  saw  he 
should  have  no  influence  if  they  knew  who 
he  really  was.  He  says  he  has  detested  the 


126  Her  Majesty. 

disguise,  Your  Majesty,  and  that  he  has  many 
times  been  on  the  verge  of  giving  the  whole 
thing  up  and  going  back  to  England,  where  he 
has  lived  most  of  his  life.  I  think  he  intends 
doing  it  before  long,  in  any  case,  as  he  finds  he 
can  do  nothing  for  the  people." 

"  My  poor  people  !  "  exclaimed  the  Queen. 

"  What  I  was  going  to  ask  Your  Majesty," 
the  Governor  went  on,  "  was  to  see  the  Count 
and  try  to  persuade  him  to  remain  in  the 
country  and  to  take  some  position  under  the 
government.  We  need  such  men  as  he.  He 
is  the  cleverest,  most  reasonable,  most  honora 
ble  man  I  have  ever  met.  I  admired  him  as 
Hiller  before  I  knew  he  was  Count  Waldeck, 
and  never  performed  a  duty  more  unwillingly 
than  when  I  arrested  him."  A  gleam  of  light 
came  into  Her  Majesty's  eyes,  but  she  said 
calmly  : 

"I  am  willing,  Your  Excellency;  but  I 
should  n't  want  Baron  Hausman  to  know  any 
thing  about  it.  Consequently  we  must  keep  it 
from  every  one  else.  I  should  want  to  see  him 
and  talk  to  him  alone.  Can  you  suggest  a  way  ? 
I  was  afraid  we  did  not  treat  him  so  well  as  we 
might  have  done  at  the  audience  to-day,  Baron 


A  Royal  Audience.  127 

Hausman  and  myself,  but,  of  course,  we  did 
not  know  his  rank.  I  think  you  are  right.  It 
would  be  well  to  conciliate  so  powerful  a  man." 

"  He  is  the  richest  of  Your  Majesty's  sub 
jects,  and  holds  the  most  important  of  the 
hereditary  offices  of  state,  although  neither  he 
nor  his  father  has  ever  cared  to  fill  them.  Could 
Your  Majesty  get  away  unobserved  if  I  should 
bring  him  to  the  summerhouse  in  an  hour's 
time  ?  I  could  watch  outside." 

"  No ;  I  would  rather  take  him  by  surprise. 
Do  you  have  a  carnage  at  the  little  side  gate  at 
one,  and  I  will  come  out  and  go  to  the  Citadel 
with  you.  The  guests  will  be  leaving  then,  and 
it  will  be  a  simple  matter  to  slip  away.  You 
can  manage  to  have  the  guards  out  of  the  way 
at  the  Citadel  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  Your  Majesty." 

"  This  is  an  affair  which  needs  the  utmost 
discretion.  It  would  do  me  a  great  deal  of  in 
jury  if  any  gpssip  about  it  got  around.  My 
motives  would  be  misinterpreted.  I  feel,  how 
ever,  that  the  object  to  be  attained  justifies 
the  unconventionally.  Can  I  rely  on  Your 
Excellency  ?  " 

"  To  death,  Your  Majesty." 


1 2  8  Her  Majesty. 

At  quarter  past  one  the  Queen  was  entering 
the  Citadel  gate  with  the  Governor.  Not  a 
person  was  in  sight. 

"  Where  have  you  put  him  ?  "  she  asked,  as 
they  stepped  on  the  resounding  stone  floor  of 
the  corridor. 

"  In  the  last  room  to  the  left.  I  wished  to 
give  him  better  quarters,  but  for  some  strange 
reason,  he  preferred  this  room.  I  sent  him 
word  to  expect  a  visitor,  so  he  will  still  be  up. 
I  will  bring  him  to  the  reception  room.  This 
way,  please.  Your  Majesty  was  never  in  the 
Citadel  before?" 

"  Had  I  not  better  go  to  him  ?  "  she  asked, 
without  taking  any  notice  of  his  question,  which 
would  have  been  hard  to  answer  truthfully. 
"  There  is  less  chance  of  my  being  discovered, 
and  I  do  not  wish  him  to  remember  my  treat 
ment  of  him  before  he  sees  me." 

"  But  I  will  not  tell  him—  '  the  Governor 
was  beginning,  but  the  Queen  interrupted  him. 

"  Your  Excellency  can  keep  watch  here  and 
come  for  me  in  ten  minutes.  I  thought  I  should 
have  more  chance  of  impressing  him  if  I  came 
in  my  robes  of  state,"  and  throwing  off  the 
long  cloak  that  covered  her  from  head  to 


A  Royal  Audience.  129 

foot,  Queen  Honoria  stood  there  in  the  narrow 
stone  corridor  in  the  white  satin  gown  and 
crown  jewels  that  she  had  worn  in  her  Palace 
that  evening.  She  left  the  amazed  Governor 
with  her  cloak  in  his  hands.  He  was  a  simple 
soul  ;  but  there  was  something  he  did  not 
understand  about  this  readiness  of  his  sov 
ereign's  to  fall  in  with  his  request.  It  was  not 
for  him  to  criticise  her,  or  he  would  have 
thought  another  place  and  hour  would  have 
been  better.  She  could  not  have  had  any  pre 
vious  acquaintance  with  Count  Waldeck,  as  she 
had  not  recognized  him  when  Baron  Hausman 
took  him  to  the  Palace.  To  be  sure,  his  face 
and  manner  were  most  attractive,  but  the 
Queen  was  not  a  woman  to  be  influenced  by 
these  in  one  fifteen-minute  interview.  No  ;  it 
must  really  be  as  she  said.  She  probably  had 
been  even  less  conciliatory  to  Waldeck  than 
she  had  admitted  to  him,  and  she  felt  she  had 
made  a  mistake  that  she  must  lose  no  time  in 
repairing.  Perhaps  the  time  and  place  were 
chosen  to  make  her  concession  the  greater. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Queen  Honoria,  the  object 
of  this  musing,  swept  down  the  corridor  and 
knocked  with  beating  heart  at  the  door  of  the 

9 


130  Her  Majesty. 

room  she  had  occupied  for  one  short  night 
three  weeks  before.  Was  it  only  that,  she 
wondered.  Count  Waldeck  rose  to  his  feet  as 
this  vision  of  splendor  stood  before  him.  He 
was  dressed  in  gentleman's  clothes  for  the  first 
time  in  Honoria's  acquaintance  with  him. 

"  Ah,  Your  Majesty,"  he  said,  "  to  what  am 
I  indebted  for  this  honor?"  Honoria  went 
straight  up  to  him. 

"  Is  it  any  worse  for  the  Queen  to  masquer 
ade  than  for  Count  Waldeck  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  No,  not  in  the  least,"  he  answered  com 
posedly. 

"  I  have  only  learned  to-night  who  you  are," 
she  continued.  "  I  suspected  it  that  day  in  the 
park,  but  afterwards  decided  I  was  mistaken. 
And  it  seemed  to  me  that  you  ought  not  to  be 
so  hard  on  me  when  you  were  doing  the  same 
thing." 

"  Your  Majesty  does  not  understand.  I  said 
I  had  no  quarrel  with  my  Queen." 

"  What  is  it,  Hugo?  Tell  me  quickly.  We 
have  only  a  few  minutes  left,"  she  implored 
with  tears  in  her  eyes. 

"Your  Majesty  expected  to  dazzle  me  with 
her  splendor,"  he  answered  evasively. 


A  Royal  Audience.  1 3 1 

"  I  would  gladly  have  come  in  my  sunbonnet  if 
it  had  been  possible,  but  the  Governor  is  wait 
ing  for  me  outside  ;  and  since  I  could  not  come 
to  you  as  your  friend  Nora,  I  naturally  wished 
you  should  see  me  at  my  best."  As  she  spoke, 
she  drew  herself  up  to  her  full  height  with  a 
look  that  seemed  to  say  :  "  Defy  me  if  you 
like.  I  know  my  power."  The  light  from  the 
lamp  fell  on  her  smooth  white  neck  and  arms, 
and  on  the  jewels  that  shone  there  and  in  her 
hair.  Count  Waldeck  lowered  his  eyes. 

"  Your  Majesty  will  excuse  me  if  I  turn  my 
eyes  away :  they  are  easily  blinded,"  he  said, 
sarcastically.  In  a  second  the  Queen  was  gone 
and  the  woman  stood  in  her  place. 

"  Don't  speak  to  me  so,  Hugo,"  she  pleaded. 
"Tell  me,  I  beg  of  you,  in  the  name  of  the  day 
we  spent  together  in  the  park  so  many  years 
ago — there  is  no  bitterness  in  that, — tell  me 
why  you  hate  me  so."  This  time  her  words 
moved  him. 

"  Hate  you  !  I  hate  you  !  Ah,  that  is  just 
what  I  cannot  forgive  you  for.  It  is  Nora  I  am 
angry  at, — Nora,  who  has  spoiled  my  life  to 
gratify  a  caprice.  I  shall  always  be  filled  with 
insatiable  desire  and  hopeless  regrets  ;  for  do 


132  Her  Majesty. 

you  think  I  could  ever  take  another  woman  in 
my  arms  after  having  aspired  to  my  Queen?  I 
have  been  a  happy,  satisfied  man,  as  men  go,  all 
my  life  ;  but  I  see  nothing  before  me  in  the 
future  but  loneliness,  heart-breaking  loneliness, 
because  my  Queen  chose  to  descend  from  her 
throne  and  take  from  me,  her  subject,  my  most 
precious  possession,  while  she  knew  only  too 
well  she  could  never  have  any  use  for  it."  A 
light  that  was  not  a  smile  came  into  Honoria's 
face. 

"  Would  you  give  it  up,  then  ?  "  she  asked. 
"Would  you  give  up  those  evenings  we  spent 
together,  that  day  in  the  park,  our  night  within 
these  walls  and  the  walk  home  just  before 
dawn  ?  Would  you  give  up  having  held  me 
in  your  arms,  the  kisses  I  gave  you,  if  you 
could?  "  Hugo  buried  his  face  in  his  hands  as 
he  answered. 

"  God  help  me,  no  !  They  are  worth  it  all." 
'''  You  know  I  did  not  make  you  love  me  out 
of  caprice,"  Honoria  went  on.  "  I  could  not 
help  myself.  I  was  lonely.  I  have  been  lonely 
all  my  life,  with  a  loneliness  you  cannot  con 
ceive  of ;  and  I  saw  before  me  the  hero  of  the 
day-dreams  of  my  childhood  and  girlhood,  only 


A  Royal  Audience.  133 

a  thousand  times  more  attractive,  more  lovable 
than  anything  I  could  imagine.  I  had  never 
forgotten  you.  I  knew  you  almost  immedi 
ately,  and  that  was  why  I  trusted  myself  to 
you.  I  was  not  so  reckless  as  I  seemed.  How 
could  I  help  loving  you  ?  And  I  had  never 
loved  any  one  before,  and  I  did  n't  know  how 
to  keep  it  to  myself.  You  knew  I  loved  you. 
It  is  no  use  pretending  you  did  n't." 

"  I  have  been  cursing  my  vanity  for  feeling 
you  did  ;  and  to-night,  when  I  look  at  you,  it 
seems  more  unbelievable  than  ever.  If  you 
were  not  my  Queen,  I  should  still  think  :  *  This 
glorious  woman  cares  for  me  !  It  cannot  be.'  " 
The  tears  in  Honoria's  eyes  were  running  over 
now. 

"  Ah,  Hugo,"  she  said,  "I  love  you.  Just 
tell  me  you  love  me  once  more  and  I  will 

g°-" 

"  Hush  !  "     Hugo  interrupted.     "  Some  one 

is  coming."  The  Governor  gave  a  slight 
knock  and  opened  the  door. 

"  I  think  Your  Majesty  had  better  be  going," 
he  said.  The  Queen  was  herself  again. 

"Just  one  minute  more,  Your  Excellency. 
Count  Waldeck  and  I  are  just  coming  to  an 


134  Her  Majesty. 

agreement."  The  Governor  withdrew.  Ho- 
noria  held  out  both  her  hands. 

"  I  'm  sorry.  I  could  n't  help  it,"  she  said  as 
if  she  had  been  a  child  caught  in  some  naughti 
ness.  Hugo  caught  her  hands,  held  them  close 
to  him  and  kissed  them  passionately. 

"  If  you  ever  need  me,  you  will  find  me 
ready,"  he  said.  "  Good-by,  my  Nora  Creina." 
He  opened  the  door  for  her  and  closed  it  be 
hind  her  when  she  had  passed  out. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

AT   ELMENDORF   CASTLE. 

THE  spring  had  passed  away  and  the 
summer  was  half  gone,  but  the  con 
dition  of  public  affairs  was  outwardly 
much  the  same.  A  careful  observer,  well-versed 
in  the  signs  of  the  times,  would  have  detected 
a  difference,  however.  There  was  a  bolder  note 
in  the  papers  ;  the  workingmen's  meetings  were 
more  frequent,  and  their  tone  was  more  out 
spoken.  The  Queen  looked  on  anxiously,  and 
kept  herself  well  posted  as  to  what  was 
going  on,  in  spite  of  Baron  Hausman's  efforts 
to  keep  her  in  the  dark.  One  bold  stand  she 
did  make :  the  court  festivities  were  discon 
tinued. 

In  August  she  went  with  her  suite  to  the 

castle  on   the  Northern  ocean,  where  she  had 

spent   most   of   her  girlhood.     It  was  a  great 

relief  to  get  away  from  troubles  and  anxieties 

135 


136  Her  Majesty. 

that  were  too  great  for  her  to  cope  with.  Be 
sides,  the  strict  etiquette  of  the  court  was 
always  relaxed  at  Elmendorf.  Here  she  drove, 
rode,  and  swam  ;  but  her  walks  in  the  thick 
pine  forests,  alone  except  for  Sunny  and  two 
fierce  stag-hounds,  were  her  chief  pleasure. 
She  was  not  happy ;  but  she  could  not  be 
utterly  unhappy  so  long  as  she  and  Hugo  were 
alive  in  the  same  world  and  still  loved  one 
another.  She  had  not  seen  him  or  heard  of 
him  directly  for  the  past  three  months.  She 
knew  he  had  been  released  from  the  Citadel 
and  had  left  the  country,  but  that  was  all.  On 
her  birthday,  in  the  middle  of  June,  one  anony 
mous  present  had  come  among  the  dozens  that 
were  sent  by  fellow-sovereigns  and  dignitaries. 
This  was  a  picture  of  a  pile  of  gray,  lichen- 
covered  rocks,  with  some  tall  beeches  in  the 
background.  It  was  a  wonderful  piece  of  work, 
signed  by  one  of  the  first  painters  of  the  day. 
Queen  Honoria  had  it  hung  in  her  bed 
chamber,  where  she  could  see  it  the  first 
thing  on  waking  ;  and  when  she  went  to  El 
mendorf  castle,  it  went  with  her. 

The  little  hamlet  of  Elmendorf  boasted  of  a 
fine  harbor,  where  vessels  of  all  sorts  stopped 


At  Elmendorf  Castle.  1 3 7 

for  water.  It  was  one  of  Her  Majesty's  favor 
ite  amusements  to  drive  along  the  beach  and 
watch  the  different  kinds  of  craft  that  were 
anchored  there.  The  whaling  vessels  had  been 
her  delight  when  she  was  a  girl,  and  she  had 
once  persuaded  Mme.  Duvalet  to  go  on  board 
one.  She  was  never  tired  of  watching  the 
deep-sea  fishing  boats  with  eyes  fresh  from 
Pecheur  d'Islande.  They  stopped  at  Elmen 
dorf  on  their  way  out  in  June  and  again  on 
their  return  in  September.  Once  she  had  been 
on  board  a  vessel  bound  for  a  three  years'  stay 
in  the  White  North  ;  and  passengers  and  crew, 
from  the  famous  man  of  science  to  the  hum 
blest  sailor,  had  tried  to  outdo  one  another  in 
the  courtesy  with  which  they  showed  the 
young  princess  their  devices  for  securing  some 
degree  of  comfort  in  the  long,  dreary  time  be 
fore  them.  She  had  even  made  friends  with 
the  rough  sledge  dogs.  She  thought  of  them 
often  ;  and  it  was  with  a  real  pang  of  sorrow 
that  she  learned,  several  years  later,  of  the  fate 
of  the  vessel,  crushed  by  huge  floes  of  ice. 
Only  a  handful  of  the  men  had  succeeded  in 
making  their  way  back  over  the  ice  to  Novaya 
Zembla,  where  a  whaling  vessel  brought  them 


138  Her  Majesty. 

back  to  Europe.  It  was  too  early  now  for  any 
of  these  northern  birds  of  passage  to  be  seen. 
In  the  harbor  were  only  small  trading  schoon 
ers,  an  occasional  pleasure  yacht,  and  a  few 
miscellaneous  vessels. 

One  afternoon,  a  week  or  two  after  her  ar 
rival  at  Elmendorf,  Queen  Honoria  was  driv 
ing  herself  along  by  the  water's  edge.  Nation's 
detestation,  Mile.  Clara  von  Ettersberg,  was 
beside  her,  and  a  groom  was  up  behind.  The 
team  of  young  Hungarian  horses  were  very 
fresh,  and  Her  Majesty,  who  was  perfectly 
fearless  as  far  as  horses  were  concerned,  took 
a  keen  delight  in  making  them  show  their 
paces.  She  would  drive  down  close  to  the 
water,  in  the  wake  of  a  big  wave,  and  then 
race  with  the  next  one  up  the  gentle  slope  of 
hard-packed  sand.  The  horses  understood 
what  was  required  of  them,  and  it  was  very 
seldom  that  the  curling,  foaming  sea-water 
touched  even  the  tips  of  their  shining  black 
hoofs.  When  it  did,  there  was  a  shower-bath 
for  everybody,  but  the  Queen  did  not  care. 
This  sport  always  excited  the  horses  greatly  ; 
and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  relief  that  Mile. 
von  Ettersberg,  who  was  getting  very  nervous, 


At  Elmendorf  Castle.  1 39 

called  Her  Majesty's  attention  to  a  yacht  that 
had  just  anchored  in  the  harbor,  and  out  from 
which  a  launch  was  putting  ashore.  She  knew 
the  keen  interest  Her  Majesty  took  in  all  that 
came  from  the  sea,  and  hoped  that  it  would 
prove  a  diversion.  So  it  did. 

"  We  must  wait  and  see  who  they  are, — 
Englishmen  probably,"  said  the  Queen.  "  If 
I  drive  slowly  we  shall  get  to  the  wharf  just 
about  the  time  they  land."  Driving  slowly 
was  easier  said  than  done,  but  Her  Majesty 
accomplished  it  so  well  that  they  reached  the 
pier  just  as  three  men,  Englishmen  apparently, 
stepped  off  into  the  sandy  road.  All  threw 
away  their  cigars,  took  their  hats  off,  and 
stood  respectfully  on  one  side.  Her  Majesty 
started  slightly  as  her  eyes  fell  on  the  nearest 
of  the  three.  She  pulled  her  horses  up  to  a  full 
stop. 

"Ah,  Count  Waldeck,  who  would  have  ex 
pected  to  meet  you  here/5  she  said  graciously, 
holding  out  her  hand  to  him. 

"  Your  Majesty  is  well?"  he  asked,  when  he 
had  touched  the  back  of  her  glove  with  his  lips. 

"  Yes,  thank  you.  I  always  am.  I  don't 
think  you  have  ever  met  Mile.  Clara  von  Et- 


140  Her  Majesty. 

tersbcrg,  Count  Waldeck.  You  are  such  an 
incorrigible  deserter.  Won't  you  introduce 
your  friends  to  me  ?  " 

"  If  Your  Majesty  will  allow  me  to.  Lord 
Alfred  Stanton  and  Mr.  Arthur  Greer.  We 
are  taking  a  cruise  in  Mr.  Greer's  yacht,"  he 
explained. 

"  I  hope  you  were  not  going  to  leave  with 
out  coming  to  see  us,"  Her  Majesty  went  on, 
when  she  had  spoken  graciously  to  Waldeck's 
companions.  "  You  can't  pretend  you  did  n't 
know  we  were  here,  with  that  bale  of  goods 
floating  from  the  top  of  the  castle." 

"  I  did  not  know  but  that  Your  Majesty 
would  consider  it  a  liberty."  The  Queen  did 
not  answer,  but  turned  to  Lord  Alfred. 

"  Count  Waldeck  pretends  to  be  a  very  hum 
ble  and  loyal  subject  of  ours,"  she  said;  "but 
I  notice  that  he  is  not  very  particular  about 
paying  his  respects  to  our  person.  I  doubt  if 
he  has  ever  been  at  our  court  in  his  life." 

"  I  plead  guilty,  Your  Majesty,"  Count  Wal 
deck  answered.  "  I  am  afraid  I  should  n't 
know  how  to  behave  myself  properly.  I  'd 
trip  on  my  sword  and  tumble  over  stools  if  I 
tried  to  walk  backwards." 


At  Elmcndorf  Castle.  1 4 1 

"  Well,  we  don't  have  anything  of  that  sort 
at  Elmendorf.  Every  one  walks  the  way  he 
was  made  to  go,  so  I  hope  you  and  your  friends 
will  come  to  dinner  with  us  informally  to-night. 
We  dine  at  half-past  seven  without  a  bit  of 
ceremony.  We  have  almost  as  comfortable  a 
time  of  it  as  if  we  were  private  individuals. 
There  will  be  only  Mile,  von  Ettersberg,  Bar 
oness  von  Altenheim,  who  chaperons  us  young 
things,  and  myself." 

"  I  was  once  presented  to  our  gracious 
sovereign,"  Lord  Alfred  said,  when  they  had 
expressed  their  thanks  for  the  invitation,  "  but 
I  was  so  frightened  that  I  don't  know  whether 
I  did  anything  very  dreadful  or  not,  and  no 
body  ever  told  me,  so  I  hope  I  won't  disgrace 
my  country."  Lord  Alfred  was  twenty-eight, 
but  he  looked  ten  years  younger  and  acted  ac 
cordingly.  The  Queen  gave  him  a  gracious 
smile  as  she  said  : 

"  I  would  tell  you  a  secret  if  Mile,  von  Et 
tersberg  was  not  here.  She  thinks  I  am  not  so 
particular  about  etiquette  as  I  should  be,  so  I 
don't  dare.  Well,  my  horses  are  getting  im 
patient.  I  am  very  glad  to  have  met  all  three 
of  you.  Au  revoir"  She  drove  off  sitting  up 


142  Her  Majesty. 

very  straight,  and  managing  her  horses  in  the 
most  approved  fashion. 

"  Is  that  your  Queen  ? "  Lord  Alfred  de 
manded  of  Waldeck.  "  Well,  she  's  a  winner 
and  no  mistake  !  Will  I  go  to  dinner  with  her  ? 
Well,  I  just  guess  I  will,  as  Greer  would 
say." 

"  I  shall  want  at  least  two  hours  to  make  my 
self  beautiful  in,  so  we  can't  explore  much," 
said  Mr.  Greer,  who  was  tall  and  clever  looking. 
Count  Waldeck  said  nothing  at  all,  but  stood 
watching  Her  Majesty  out  of  sight,  until  his 
friends  began  to  make  fun  of  him. 

"  Well,  Waldy,"  said  Lord  Alfred,  "  if  I  had 
n't  heard  it  from  her  own  lips — God  bless  them 
—that  you  never  went  near  her,  I  should  sus 
pect  she  was  the  charmer  who  had  stolen  your 
good  spirits." 

"  It  was  very  suspicious,  this  ardent  cham 
pionship  of  the  water  of  Elmendorf,"  Mr.  Greer 
added.  "  I  never  noticed  a  craving  for  water 
in  him  before.  Come  now,  Waldy,  own  up. 
I  '11  back  you.  I  never  saw  anything  like  that 
smile  she  gave  when  she  saw  you." 

"  And  Eddystone  was  n't  in  it  with  Wai- 
deck's  face,"  put  in  Lord  Alfred. 


At  Elmendorf  Castle.  143 

"Come,  fellows,  shut  up.  It  is  n't  respect 
ful." 

"  Your  prospective  Majesty  does  n't  like 
your  humble  slaves  to  take  liberties  ? "  said 
Lord  Alfred.  Hugo  knew  by  experience  that 
getting  angry  was  the  worse  possible  policy 
with  these  two  friends  of  his,  and  the  surest 
way  to  make  a  joke  last,  so  he  shrugged  his 
shoulders  good-naturedly  and  turned  his  steps 
towards  the  town. 

It  was  a  beautiful  gown  that  Queen  Honoria 
put  on  for  dinner  that  night,  the  creation  of  a 
French  artist. 

"  I  feel  quite  excited  !  "  she  exclaimed  to 
Mile.  Clara,  "  quite  like  a  school-girl  at  her  first 
ball.  You  see,  we  have  lived  so  quietly  since  we 
have  been  here ;  and  I  do  like  Englishmen, 
they  are  so  simple  and  natural,  and  they  don't 
do  their  manners  and  pay  you  compliments  as 
Frenchmen  do.  Dear  me,  why  was  n't  I  born 
a  gypsy,  with  one  big  dish  for  the  family  to 
eat  out  of!  " 

"  Your  Majesty  would  n't  care  for  the  dirt," 
suggested  Mile,  von  Ettersberg. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  there  would  be  nothing  to 
prevent  my  removing  a  little  of  it  myself.  The 


144  Her  Majesty. 

idea  of  my  being  a  lazy,  good-for-nothing 
Queen  !  "  There  was  a  decided  touch  of  scorn 
on  the  last  word.  "  Why,  all  my  idleness  can't 
get  rid  of  this,"  and  stretching  out  her  round 
smooth  white  arm,  she  showed  an  undeniable 
lump  of  muscle  just  below  the  elbow. 

"  And  sometimes  I  feel  so  full  of  life  and 
energy  that  it  seems  as  if  I  had  got  to  go  out 
and  run  and  shout.  That  is  why  I  love  my 
Hungarians  so,  they  give  me  enough  to  do  for 
once.  Dear  me  !  Elmendorf  air  is  getting  in 
my  head,  and  it  always  does  after  I  have  been 
here  a  little  while.  To-morrow  morning  early, 
I  shall  go  down  to  my  bath-house  and  take  a 
swim  away  out  to  Turret  rock  and  back,  while 
you  paddle  and  shiver  in  the  shallow  water 
near  the  shore.  Poor  Clara  !  It  's  too  bad  that 
you  had  to  have  such  a  crazy  kind  of  a  queen, 
who  can't  bear  embroidery,  and  likes  to  run 
races  with  Sunny,  when  there  's  no  one  by  to 
see  !  " 

Mile,  von  Ettersberg  privately  thought  so 
too.  In  spite  of  her  boast  to  Nanon,  her  mis 
tress  was  entirely  incomprehensible  to  her 
narrow  little  mind.  She  was  lazy,  self-in 
dulgent,  malicious,  vain,  affected,  and  ridicu- 


At  Elmendorf  Castle.  145 

lously  prudish,  and,  consequently,  utterly  in 
capable  of  understanding  an  energetic,  mag 
nanimous  nature  like  that  of  the  Queen's,  a 
nature  that  stooped  to  nothing  small,  that  de 
spised  pretences  and  small  manoeuvres,  and 
spoke  out  her  thoughts  with  the  freedom  that 
only  a  pure-minded  person  can  indulge  in. 
Clara  was  hopelessly  behind  her  age.  She 
lowered  her  eyes  before  a  man,  and  would  have 
died  before  she  mentioned  her  stockings  ;  yet 
she  would  repeat  tales  of  those  around  her,  full 
of  accusations  and  suspicions  that  made  the 
Queen  blush  and  change  the  subject  with  open 
displeasure.  Now,  however,  she  only  said  re 
signedly  : 

"  Ah,  Madam,  Your  Majesty  would  have 
made  a  perfect  gypsy." 

"  My  hair  is  almost  dark  enough,  though  my 
skin  and  eyes  are  not.  Speaking  of  looks, 
though,  what  do  you  think  of  Count  Waldeck's  ? 
Do  you  think  he  is  handsome  ?  I  will  give 
him  to  you  for  dinner — the  Baroness  can  have 
Mr.  Greer — so  you  must  get  all  your  charms  in 
good  working  order.  He  is  a  desirable,  you 
know." 

"  The  best  match   in    Your   Majesty's  king- 


146  Her  Majesty. 

dom,"  said  Clara,  who  was  rather  pretty,  but, 
for  some  reason  or  other,  had  not  succeeded  in 
rinding  a  husband  to  suit  her.  The  Ettersberg 
requirements  were  very  high.  The  arrival  of 
Count  Waldeck  caused  hope  to  spring  up  afresh, 
so,  adjusting  the  smile  she  reserved  for  great 
occasions,  she  followed  her  royal  mistress  down 
stairs. 

"  It  has  n't  been  so  very  awful,  after  all," 
Lord  Alfred,  the  irrepressible,  confided  to  Her 
Majesty  after  dinner,  when  they  were  all  walk 
ing  in  the  garden  in  the  long  northern  twilight. 
The  Queen  laughed. 

"  I  hate  it  just  as  much  as  you  do,  but  I  can't 
get  away  from  it.  It  seems  like  putting  on  a 
suit  of  armor  and  walking  around  the  streets 
with  your  vizor  down.  It  's  just  about  as 
modern." 

"  By  Jove,  but  you  're  a  girl  of  sense,"  Lord 
Alfred  was  beginning,  and  then  he  stopped, 
overcome  by  the  disrespect  of  his  words.  The 
Queen  laughed  so  hard  that  she  had  to  sit  down 
on  one  of  the  garden  benches ;  but  not  another 
word  could  Lord  Alfred  be  induced  to  speak 
further  than  monosyllables  accompanied  by 
"Your  Majesties." 


At  Elmendorf  Castle.  147 

Count  Waldeck  and  the  Queen  had  hardly 
spoken  to  each  other.  Mile,  von  Ettersberg 
had  kept  him  glued  to  her  side  and  demanded 
all  his  attention  ;  but  now  he  approached  and 
said  that  he  had  persuaded  Mr.  Greer  to  bring 
his  guitar,  thinking  Her  Majesty  might  like  to 
hear  him  sing.  "  He  has  quite  a  reputation  in 
London,"  he  added. 

"Where  is  he?"  asked  the  Queen.  Lord 
Alfred  offered  to  go  and  find  him,  being  glad  to 
get  away  from  so  dangerous  a  vicinity.  The 
royal  manner  vanished  with  him.  She  motioned 
Hugo  to  a  seat  on  the  bench  beside  her.  Then 
they  exchanged  one  long  look. 

"  I  have  n't  changed  a  bit,"  she  volunteered. 
"  Of  course,  I  have  to  do  the  Queen  before 
people,  but  I  am  just  the  same  old  goose." 
Hugo's  face  lit  up. 

"  Oh,  my  Queen  !  "  he  said. 

"  Is  that  what  you  call  me  ? "  asked  Her 
Majesty. 

"  Nora,"  he  said  affectionately. 

"That  is  better.  But  they  will  be  here 
directly  ;  and,  Hugo,  I  must  see  you  alone  be 
fore  you  go.  I  have  something  very  particular 
to  say  to  you.  I  am  going  to  walk  in  the  forest 


148  Her  Majesty. 

to-morrow  afternoon,  Sunny  and  I,  and  I  will 
be  on  the  top  of  that  little  hill  over  there  at 
four.  There  is  no  path.  You  have  to  make 
your  way  through  the  trees.  Consequently, 
nobody  ever  goes  there  but  me."  Hugo's  face 
lit  up  again,  but — 

"  I  will  be  there,"  was  all  he  said.  "  Can't  I 
see  the  'precious  lambkin'?"  he  went  on  a 
minute  or  two  later. 

"  Of  course.  I  will  send  Clara  for  him.  But, 
first,  I  want  to  tell  you  that  you  must  not  look 
at  me  again  to-night.  That  Clara  has  the  eyes 
of  a  bird  of  prey." 

"  And  the  instincts  of  one,"  Hugo  added 
mischievously.  Honoria  laughed. 

"  Did  you  see  through  her  so  soon  ?  It  was 
partly  my  fault ;  for  I  suggested  to  her  that  you 
were  a  desirable  parti,  not  but  that  she  knew 
it  already.  In  fact,  I  think  her  plans  were 
matured  from  the  first  moment  she  heard  your 
name.  Is  n't  this  wicked  of  me?  But  it  is  so 
delicious,  gossiping  with  you,  Hugo,  and  saying 
mean  things  about  people.  One  has  to  like  a 
person  very  well  to  like  to  gossip  with  them,— 
I  mean,  I  do.  No,  sir;  keep  your  hands  at 
home.  They  '11  be  here  any  minute." 

*'  I  did  n't  know  I  looked  at  you,"  Hugo  con- 


At  Elmendorf  Castle.  149 

tinued.  "  I  thought  I  was  discretion  personified. 
I  don't  see  what  I  can  do.  I  can't  keep  my 
eyes  away  every  minute  unless  I  turn  my  back 
to  you,  and  I  suppose  that  would  n't  be  the 
thing.  I  warn  you  that  if  you  don't  turn  up 
to-morrow  afternoon,  I  shall  come  down  here 
and  demand  you  boldly.  Here  they  come — 
damn  them."  Honoria  laughed  instead  of  re 
proving  him  as  she  ought  to  have  done. 

"  Now  do  be  careful,"  was  all  she  had  time 
to  say. 

Mr.  Greer  was  profuse  in  his  apologies.  A 
string  was  found  to  be  broken  in  his  guitar, 
and  he  had  to  wait  until  Mile,  von  Ettersberg 
got  another  from  one  of  the  pages.  He  had  a 
beautiful  voice  and  sang  in  an  easy,  natural 
manner. 

"  Sing  something  of  your  own,  Greer,"  Count 
Waldeck  said  at  last.  "  Her  Majesty  will  like 
to  hear  your  version  of  Late,  late,  so  late.  Your 
Majesty  remembers  that  this  is  the  song  Ten 
nyson  makes  the  little  nun  sing  to  Queen  Gum- 
ever  when  she  has  taken  refuge  in  the  convent 
at  Almsbury." 

"  I  remember,"  Her  Majesty  replied  with  a 
smile.  The  tears  were  in  her  eyes  when  Mr. 
Greer  finished,  but  no  one  saw  them  except 


1 50  Her  Majesty. 

Hugo,  for  she  turned  away  her  face.  She 
dropped  her  fan  to  the  ground.  He  got  down 
on  his  knees  to  pick  it  up  from  under  the  bench, 
and  managed  to  kiss  the  bottom  of  her  gown, 
unseen  by  any  one. 

"  Be  careful,"  her  eyes  said  to  him,  and  then 
she  thanked  Mr.  Greer  most  royally.  "  Count 
Waldeck  would  like  to  see  Sunny  :  he  is  inter 
ested  in  dogs.  Will  you  get  him  please,  Clara," 
she  added  a  little  later  when  Mr.  Greer  was 
putting  his  guitar  in  its  case. 

"  Why,  Waldeck,  he  seems  to  know  you," 
Lord  Alfred  exclaimed  when  Sunny  had  ap 
peared  and  greeted  the  Count  with  evident 
demonstrations  of  joy. 

"All  dogs  do  that,"  Count  Waldeck  explained 
mendaciously.  "  Well,  Sunny,  old  fellow,  you 
know  a  friend  when  you  see  him,  don't  you  ? 
Sunny  had  another  ecstasy  of  joy,  and  had  to 
be  forcibly  torn  from  him  when  Lord  Alfred 
declared  it  was  time  to  go. 

"  Perhaps  I  ought  to  have  waited  until  Your 
Majesty  dismissed  us,"  he  added  apologetically, 
observing  that  Waldeck  smiled. 

"  Not  at  Elmendorf,"  said  Her  Majesty  gra 
ciously. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  RED-LETTER  DAY. 

IT  was  a  little  past  four  the  next  afternoon 
when,  having  made  her  way  through  the 
thick  growth  of  pines  that  covered  its 
slopes,  Queen  Honoria  found  herself  at  the  top 
of  the  little  hill  she  had  pointed  out  to  Hugo. 
He  was  there  before  her,  and  was  cutting  some 
thing  with  his  penknife  on  a  tree.  There  was  a 
little  natural  clearing  where  he  stood,  with  an 
out-look  in  all  directions  through  the  branches 
of  the  tall  tre.es,  and  her  footsteps  made  no 
noise  on  the  soft  needles,  so  she  was  within  a 
few  feet  of  him  before  he  heard  her. 

"Well,  Orlando,"  she  said,  "  what  are  you 
doing  ?  " 

"  Come  and  see,"  he  answered.  He  had  cut 
"  Nora  "  in  the  soft  bark,  with  beautiful  flour 
ishes  on  all  sides. 

"  You  boy,"  she  said  affectionately,  holding 
151 


152  Her  Majesty. 

out  her  hand  to  him.  He  took  it  and  kissed  it 
fondly,  then  made  as  if  he  would  draw  her  to 
him,  looking  at  her  inquiringly  all  the  time. 
The  Queen  shook  her  head  and  said  proudly  : 

"  No,  Hugo.  You  surely  do  not  think  I  came 
for  that?  " 

"  Why  not  ?  "  he  asked  boldly.  "  Have  you 
grown  too  proud  since  you  cast  off  your  sun- 
bonnet  ?  " 

"Yes,  but  not  in  the  sense  you  mean.  I  am 
too  proud  as  a  woman,  not  as  a  queen.  It 
would  not  be  my  place  to  make  a  rendezvous 
with  you  for — spooning."  Hugo  laughed. 

"  I  don't  care,"  he  exclaimed  impulsively.  "  I 
know  I  have  got  to  go  to-morrow  and  that 
heaven  only  knows  when  I  shall  see  you  again, 
and,  all  the  same,  I  am  so  radiantly  happy  at 
just  being  with  you  that  I  'd  like  to  stand  on 
my  head." 

"  Sit  down  on  the  ground  by  me  instead," 
Honoria  said  with  a  laugh.  "Yes,  you  can 
come  nearer  if  you  won't  touch  me.  Now, 
Hugo,  I  want  you  to  be  very  good  and  serious, 
as  you  were  when  I  first  knew  you,  because 
I  Ve  got  something  very  important  to  talk  over 
with  you." 


A  Red-Letter  Day.  153 

"  May  I  say  '  fire  ahead  '  to  my  sovereign 
lady?" 

"  You  may  say  anything  you  like  to  her,  so 
long  as  it  isn't  love-making."  She  hesitated  a 
minute  and  then  plunged  into  her  subject.  "  I 
suppose  you  have  kept  yourself  posted  in  re 
gard  to  what  is  going  on  at  home  ?  " 

"  Yes.  I  probably  know  more  about  it  than 
you  do.  I  have  several  correspondents  among 
the  initiated." 

"  Well,  things  are  going  from  bad  to  worse, 
and  will  keep  on  doing  so,  so  long  as  Baron 
Hausman  is  at  the  head  of  affairs.  I  am  power 
less,  for  my  ignorance  is  his  strongest  hold  on 
me ;  and  he  takes  care  that  I  shall  learn  just  as 
little  as  he  can  help.  I  never  can  get  him  to 
give  me  a  satisfactory  explanation  of  a  single 
detail  of  State  business ;  and  the  trouble  is  that 
no  one  understands  it  but  himself.  If  I  dis 
missed  him,  my  blunders  would  probably  pre 
cipitate  matters.  You  once  reproached  me 
with  not  doing  anything  to  relieve  the  people, 
but  what  can  I  do?  Baron  Hausman  proves  to 
me  conclusively  that  everything  I  suggest 
would  have  just  the  opposite  effect ;  and  he 
convinces  me  every  time,  although  I  generally 


1 5  4  Her  Majesty . 

go  back  to  my  original  opinion  afterwards. 
How  can  I  lighten  the  taxes  when  the  govern 
ment  is  not  paying  its  expenses  now  ?  I  can 
not  cut  down  the  army,  for  that  would  be  the 
signal  for  declarations  of  war  against  us.  The 
papers  say  our  currency  is  at  the  root  of  all 
our  troubles,  but  no  one  seems  to  know  exactly 
how  this  is  so  ;  or,  at  least,  every  one  gives  a 
different  reason.  And  this  is  the  way  it  is  with 
everything.  I  am  so  ignorant  that  I  am  afraid 
to  take  a  single  step.  It  seems  to  be  a  dead 
lock,  but  I  have  a  plan."  She  paused  again. 

"And  that  is?"  Hugo  asked,  as  seriously  as 
she  could  wish. 

"  That  you  take  his  office.  No,  don't  say  a 
word  till  you  hear  me  out.  I  know  perfectly 
the  difficulties  in  the  way,  but  I  do  not  think 
they  are  insurmountable.  I  know  what  an 
enormous  sacrifice  it  would  be,  for,  in  that  case, 
there  would  be  no  relations  possible  between 
us  except  that  of  Queen  and  Prime  Minister  ; 
but  is  not  the  good  of  the  people,  the  salvation 
of  our  fatherland,  worth  it  ?  We  can  do  any 
thing  together.  The  appointment  of  Count 
Waldeck,  the  first  noble  in  the  land,  would  be 
most  appropriate  in  the  eyes  of  every  one, 


A  Red-Letter  Day.  155 

especially  when  he  is  recognized  as  the  friend 
of  the  people.  Others  have  sacrificed  their 
love  for  a  principle,  for  some  great  good  to  be 
attained  by  doing  it,  so  why  can  we  not?" 
Hugo's  face  was  inscrutable  while  she  was 
speaking ;  but  when  she  finished,  with  a  little 
quick,  agitated  drawing-in  of  her  breath,  he 
looked  up  with  a  quiet  smile,  and  said  com 
posedly  : 

"  You  are  younger  than  I  thought,  my 
Queen.  Do  you  really  think  it  would  be  pos 
sible  for  you  and  me  to  meet  every  day  as 
Queen  and  Prime  Minister  and  as  nothing  else? 
That  might  be  done  in  heaven,  though  I  am 
rather  inclined  to  doubt  it.  Of  course,  we  could 
make  one  great  sacrifice  for  a  noble  cause  ;  we 
could  give  each  other  up  and  persist  in  it  to 
our  dying  days,  provided  we  lived  apart ;  but 
to  see  each  other  at  all  hours  and  under  all  cir 
cumstances,  and  neither  show  our  love  to  each 
other  nor  to  the  world,  my  dear  simple  little 
girl,  do  you  honestly  think,  in  the  bottom  of 
your  heart,  that  we  could  do  this  ?  But  I  know 
you  do,  or  you  would  not  have  suggested  it," 
he  added  quickly.  "  I  think  what  I  love  best 
about  you,  my  Nora  Creina,  next  to  your  own 


156  Her  Majesty. 

sweet  self,  is  your  absolute  honesty  and  freedom 
from  pretext." 

"  I  will  be  quite  frank  with  you,  Hugo," 
Honoria  replied.  "  I  did  think  so,  really  and 
truly,  until  yesterday.  I  have  only  sort  of 
pretended  I  thought  so  since  then." 

"  May  I  kiss  your  hand  ? "  Hugo  asked 
humbly. 

11  A  queen's  hand  is  common  property,"  she 
said  as  she  gave  it  to  him.  "  But  I  hate  to  give 
up  my  plan.  My  poor,  poor  people,  what  is  to 
become  of  them,  or  of  me?" 

"  And  I  cannot  say,  '  Come  to  me,'  "  Hugo 
remarked  sadly.  "  You  could  never  be  my  wife." 

"  No ;  it  would  not  be  legal.  You  knew 
that,  did  n't  you  ?  According  to  our  laws,  a 
marriage  between  a  reigning  sovereign  and  a 
subject  is  null  and  void.  Otherwise,  I  would 
choose  you  openly  before  all  the  world."  She 
drew  herself  up  as  she  said  this. 

"  I  thank  you,  my  Queen,"  Hugo  said  simply. 
"  But  even  in  that  case,  I  could  not  do  it.  Am 
I  the  man  to  be  a  Prince  Consort,  the  orna 
mental  appendage  of  a  crown  ?  I  am  afraid 
that  not  even  my  love  for  you  could  stand  the 
friction  of  such  a  position."  Honoria  sighed. 


A  Red-Letter  Day.  1 5  7 

"  It  is  a  cul  de  sac"  she  said,  mournfully. 
"  The  only  possible  solution  is  an  impossible 
one." 

"  Yes,"  he  said.  "  You  might  give  up  the 
world  for  me,  and  we  should  both  be  unhappy 
ever  afterwards, — I  being  always  conscious  of 
your  sacrifice,  you  feeling  the  disgrace  and, 
after  a  little,  what  you  had  given  up  ;  and  both 
of  us  regreting  our  power  for  good  in  the 
world,  which  we  had  lost  by  showing  ourselves 
incapable  of  governing  ourselves." 

"  And  yet  you  don't  seem  to  think  we  are 
capable  of  self-control  as  it  is." 

"  My  dear,  dear  girl,  to  know  when  to  run 
away  is  one  of  the  first  principles  of  self- 
government.  Sometimes  there  is  nothing  else 
to  do.  It  is  no  use,  Nora;  we  are  both  over 
burdened  with  conscience,  so  the  only  thing  to 
do  is  to  take  up  our  crosses.  We  know  we 
love  each  other,  that  is  a  great  deal — It  is  the 
coldest  comfort  in  the  world,"  he  broke  off 
impulsively,  "  when  it  is  you,  your  sweet  self, 
body  and  soul,  that  I  am  eating  out  my  heart 
for." 

"  It  is  a  great  deal  to  me,"  said  Honoria. 
"  The  thought  of  you  comes  to  me  like  a 


158  Her  Majesty. 

glimpse  of  Paradise,  when  I  am  being  bored  to 
death.  It  is  the  first  time  I  have  ever  had 
anything  to  contrast.  You  have  no  idea  of  the 
number  of  dull  entertainments  you  have  at 
tended  with  me  in  the  past  three  months.  Oh, 
dear!  I  wish  I  could  abdicate  and  be  done  with 
it  ;  but  I  suppose  I  have  no  right  to." 

"  No,"  Hugo  answered  slowly.  "  A  great 
responsibility  has  been  given  you,  and  you 
cannot  turn  it  over  to  any  one  else.  What  a 
terrible  thing  it  is  to  have  a  conscience  you  are 
afraid  to  defy.  Mine  has  made  a  perfect 
coward  of  me.  If  it  were  not  for  it,  I  would 
abduct  you  this  minute  and  carry  you  off  to 
one  of  the  charcoal  burners'  huts  in  the 
mountains." 

"  Would  n't  it  be  delicious  !  No  Clara,  no 
;tupid  old  Baroness,  only  you  and  me,  Hugo." 

"  I  don't  dare  talk  of  it  or  think  of  it,"  he 
mswered  shortly.  Neither  of  them  said  a  word 
for  some  minutes.  "  But  where  is  my  friend 
Sunny  ?  "  he  asked  at  length. 

"  I  left  him  barking  at  the  foot  of  an  apple- 
tree,  in  the  top  of  which  a  cat  was  sitting.  He 
refused  to  leave,  and  I  saw  the  cat  was  safe,  so 
I  came  without  him.  When  do  you  sail, Hugo  ?  " 


A  Red-Letter  Day.  159 

"  To-morrow  night.  When  you  get  back  to 
the  Castle,  you  will  find  a  polite  note  from 
Greer,  dictated  by  myself,  inviting  you  and 
your  ladies  out  for  a  day's  cruise.  We  are  go 
ing  around  among  the  islands,  and  will  have 
luncheon  on  one  of  them." 

"  How  perfectly  lovely ! "  she  exclaimed. 
"  But,  Hugo,  we  must  behave  ourselves.  You 
must  n't  look  at  me  or  speak  to  me  alone.  Do 
you  understand?  " 

"  Let  me  manage  to  get  you  alone  just  once, 
as  near  the  others  as  you  like,  and  I  '11  be  a 
model  of  discretion  the  rest  of  the  time." 

"  For  five  minutes  only?" 

"  For  five  minutes  only." 

"  How  nice  this  is !  I  thought  I  should  have 
to  say  good-by  to  you  now,  and  was  trying  to 
nerve  myself  up  to  it ;  for  I  ought  to  have 
gone  home  half  an  hour  ago."  She  rose  to  her 
feet  without  waiting  for  him  to  help  her  up. 

The  next  day  was  beautiful,  and  so  was 
Queen  Honoria  in  her  yachting  costume  of 
blue  serge.  Mile,  von  Ettersberg's  dolly  pret- 
tiness  was  quite  eclipsed.  The  latter  had  made 
an  elaborate  toilet  for  the  occasion,  and  had 
been  distressed  at  Her  Majesty's  simplicity. 


160  Her  Majesty. 

Fortunately,  she  did  not  know  what  a  good 
background  her  elaborate  gown  and  still  more 
elaborate  arrangement  of  flaxen  ringlets  made 
for  this  same  simplicity. 

"  There  is  nothing  I  love  like  yachting,"  Her 
Majesty  declared  enthusiastically  to  Mr.  Greer, 
as  they  steamed  out  the  bay,  "  unless  it  is  go 
ing  out  in  a  little  cutter  when  there  is  a  stiff 
breeze,  and  the  waves  are  running  high,"  she 
added. 

"  Your  Majesty  is  never — unhappy?" 

"Not  the  least  bit  in  the  world.  Both  Mile, 
von  Ettersberg  and  the  Baroness  are,  though," 
she  confided.  "  They  were  much  distressed  at 
the  prospect  to-day,  but  I  brought  them  all  the 
same  ;  for,  of  course,  I  could  n't  come  if  they 
did  n't.  You  see  how  tyrannical  you  get  when 
you  have  somebody  to  tyrannize  over  who 
can't  rebel.  You  may  be  thankful  you  are  not 
one  of  my  subjects,  Mr.  Greer."  There  was 
not  the  least  trace  of  coquetry  in  Her  Majesty's 
manner  as  she  said  this,  only  simple  ease  and 
friendliness. 

"  I  only  wish  I  were !  "  Mr.  Greer  exclaimed 
enthusiastically.  "  I  would  n't  neglect  my  op 
portunities  like  Waldeck,  I  can  tell  you.  I  'd 


A  Red-Letter  Day.  161 

apply  to  be  made  first  skipper  in  ordinary  to 
Your  Majesty,  and  we  'd  have  some  fine 
cruises.  I  'd  take  Your  Majesty  over  to  my 
home — America." 

"  Are  you  an  American,  Mr.  Greer  ?  I 
thought  you  were  English." 

"  Did  n't  Your  Majesty  recognize  my 
brogue  ?  " 

"  I  am  so  glad.  I  have  never  met  but  one 
or  two  Americans  before,  and  I  want  to  ask 
you  some  questions  about  your  government 
and  institutions  and  ways  generally.  Do  you 
mind?" 

"  Mind,  Your  Majesty  ?  I  should  say  not,— 
if  I  can  answer  them."  They  plunged  into  a 
political  discussion  that  lasted  till  lunch-time. 
She  found  him  very  clever  and  well  informed, 
and  would  have  enjoyed  talking  with  him 
greatly  if  there  had  not  been  a  some  one  else 
on  board.  Count  Waldeck,  in  the  meanwhile, 
patiently  listened  to  Mile.  Clara's  empty-headed 
but  purposeful  chatter ;  and  Lord  Alfred  tried 
to  calm  the  Baroness's  fears.  Her  one  idea 
was  whether  it  was  likely  to  be  rough.  Not  a 
glimmering  did  she  appear  to  have  on  any 
other  subject.  When  they  had  landed  on  the 


1 62  Her  Majesty. 

beautiful  little  wooded  island  where  luncheon 
was  to  be  served,  Lord  Alfred  remonstrated 
privately  with  his  friend  on  his  monopoly. 

"  I  '11  be  hanged  if  I  talk  to  that  old  idiot 
while  you  flirt  with  Her  Majesty, — just  like 
your  American  cheek,  confound  it.  I  won't 
be  in  Waldeck's  shoes  either.  Mile.  Airs  and 
Graces  shall  not  make  love  to  me." 

Queen  Honoria  was  standing  a  little  apart, 
watching  some  vessels  far  out  at  sea,  when 
Count  Waldeck  joined  her. 

"  Now,  my  Queen  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  now,"  she  answered.  "  I  am  having 
such  a  lovely  day,  Hugo.  I  was  talking  to  Mr. 
Greer,  but  I  was  n't  thinking  of  him.  You  see 
I  won't  give  you  a  chance  even  to  pretend  to 
be  jealous." 

"  It  would  n't  take  much  of  a  chance." 

"  What  a  mistake  I  have  made  !  "  exclaimed 
Honoria.  "I  have  never  tried  to  do  it  once. 
Anybody  would  know  I  was  very  inexperienced. 
But,  Hugo,  I  can't  make  you  out  at  all  to-day. 
I  had  hard  work  reconciling  you  with  the 
Hiller  of  my  first  acquaintance,  and  now  Count 
Waldeck  seems  a  different  person  still.  You 
don't  seem  the  same,  someway." 


A  Red-Letter  Day.  163 

"  How  do  you  mean,  my  Queen  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  can  explain.  It  is 
something  I  feel.  You  seem  so  much  less  im 
pulsive,  less  enthusiastic,  more  passive." 

"  You  must  remember  I  have  been  through  a 
great  deal  since  I  saw  you ;  and  then  I  have 
not  the  faculty  of  forgetting  everything  in  the 
present  moment." 

"  Is  that  a  reproach  ?  I  know  I  deserve  it. 
It  is  such  happiness  to  see  you  again  that  I  can 
not  realize  it  is  not  to  last  forever.  I  could 
sing  and  shout  with  joy.  Never  mind,  I  shall 
be  unhappy  enough  to-morrow.  Let  me  be 
happy  if  I  can,  dear  ;  it  does  not  mean  that  I 
love  you  any  the  less  ;  it  is  just  my  way." 

"  You  said  you  never  tried  to  make  me  jeal 
ous,"  Hugo  went  on  ;  "  but  I  have  been,  all  the 
same.  I  always  take  the  Court  Gazette,  and 
when  I  read  that  another  suitor  has  presented 
himself  to  demand  the  hand  of  the  Queen,  I 
see  scarlet  for  several  days.  I  am  ashamed  to 
confess  it,  but  I  did  not  like  to  see  you  so 
interested  in  your  talk  with  Greer.  He  is  a  fine 
fellow,  very  clever  and  all  that  sort  of  thing  ;  and 
you  had  met  so  few  men  of  the  world  when 
you  fell  in  with  me,  you  poor  little  nun." 


164  Her  Majesty. 

"  You  need  not  be  afraid.  I  shall  never 
marry  one  of  those  imbecile  princes." 

"  Ah,  my  Queen,  that  is  easy  to  say  and  to 
think  ;  but  how  can  I  tell  what  arguments  that 
old  humbug  of  a  Baron  may  not  use?  I  am 
afraid  of  that  terrible  sense  of  our  country's 
needs  which  you  have.  I  think  it  would  carry 
you  to  any  lengths.  You  would  have  given  up 
our  love  for  it,  you  know." 

"  Yes ;  but  I  would  never  marry  a  man  I 
did  n't  love,  no  matter  what  the  alternative 
was.  I  could  not,  even  if  I  wanted  to.  Hugo 
dear,  can't  you  understand  ?  It  would  be 
a  physical  impossibility  for  me.  I  could  no 
more  do  it  than  I  could — burn  Sunny  alive, 
or  stab  you  in  the  back.  Won't  you  believe 
me  ?  " 

"  I  will  believe  it  till  I  read  about  the  next 
one,"  Hugo  said  sadly.  Honoria  sighed. 

"  Come,  we  must  go  back  to  the  others,"  she 
said.  "  You  have  made  me  as  melancholy  as 
yourself,  but  never  mind  that  now.  How  did 
you  get  along  with  Clara  ?  "  she  asked,  as  they 
walked  over  to  where  the  table-cloth  was  spread 
on  the  grass. 

"  There  has   been  one  continual   wonder  in 


A  Red-Letter  Day.  165 

my  mind  all  morning,  why  you  had  her  about 
your  royal  person." 

"  It  is  very  simple.  I  can't  get  rid  of  her 
without  offending  the  Ettersbergs,  and  I  cannot 
afford  to  do  that.  She  was  not  my  choice. 
Baron  Hausman  committed  me  so  that  I  had 
to  take  her.  Besides,  I  am  used  to  her,  and 
she  does  not  bother  me  much  now,  and  we  see 
very  little  of  each  other.  If  only  she  were  n't 
so  jealous  of  me  !  I  am  always  having  to  soothe 
her  down.  I  don't  mean  that  she  cares  any 
thing  about  me,  quite  the  contrary  ;  but  she  is 
jealous  of  the  attention  I  receive,  as  if  it  were 
not  ex-officio  ;  and  she  does  n't  like  to  have  me 
look  well,  or  receive  any  special  or  distinguish, 
ing  notice.  I  shall  have  to  pay  for  it  for 
keeping  you  so  long  to  myself.  Well,  Mr. 
Greer,  aren't  we  going  to  have  something  to 
eat  pretty  soon  ?  I  am  almost  starved." 

"  Immediately,  Your  Majesty.  Will  Your 
Majesty  kindly  sit  here  ?  " 

It  was  a  pleasant  little  meal,  but  it  had  to  be 
hurried  over,  for  the  wind  was  freshening ;  and, 
even  as  it  was,  they  had  difficulty  getting  on 
board  again.  Mile,  von  Ettersberg  and  the 
Baroness  began  to  look  pale  even  before  they 


1 66  Her  Majesty. 

were  on  the  yacht,  and  retired  below  imme 
diately,  with  martyrdom,  and  'I  told  you  so' 
plainly  written  on  their  unhappy  faces.  The 
Queen's  spirits  had  risen  again. 

"  Dear  me,  I  suppose  it  is  wicked  to  be  glad, 
but  I  feel  like  a  school  child  when  the  teacher 
leaves  the  room,"  she  said,  when  she  and  her 
companions  had  established  themselves  in  a 
cosy  corner,  with  plenty  of  wraps.  Hugo  was 
beside  her,  and  held  an  umbrella  to  keep  the 
spray  off.  He  had  wrapped  his  mackintosh 
around  her,  and  had  borrowed  a  yellow  pea- 
jacket  from  one  of  the  sailors  for  himself. 

"  Never  mind.  They  are  both  thoroughly 
good  fellows,"  he  had  whispered  when  the 
Queen  had  made  a  silent  protest  against  his 
sitting  beside  her.  All  his  moodiness  seemed 
to  have  left  him. 

"  No,  I  thank  you,"  he  said  to  Lord  Alfred, 
who  had  offered  to  relieve  him  of  the  umbrella. 
"  I  hold  the  hereditary  office  of  umbrella-holder 
to  Her  Majesty.  It  has  been  in  the  Waldeck 
family  for  centuries." 

"  Is  that  true?"  Lord  Alfred  asked,  turning 
to  the  Queen. 

"Would  you  doubt  your  friend's  word  ?  " 


A  Red-Letter  Day.  167 

"  I  'd  doubt  anything  that  would  keep  me 
from  being  useful  to  a  queen.  I  do  love  to  be 
useful,  and  someway,  Victoria  and  I  do  not  hit 
it  off  so  well  as  we  might." 

"  Is  that  the  way  you  speak  of  your  sov 
ereign  ?  "  the  Queen  demanded.  "  I  wonder  if 
my  subjects  speak  of  me  so.  Does  Count 
Waldeck  call  me  Honoria?" 

"  Not  he.  He  bows  his  head  whenever  Your 
Majesty's  name  is  mentioned.  Why,  he  almost 
knocked  me  down  last  night  because  he  thought 
I  said  something  disrespectful  about  Your 
Majesty.  It  was  n't  really,  but  he  's  so  dread 
fully  touchy.  I  would  n't  be  that  loyal  for 
worlds." 

"  What  was  it  you  said  ?  You  '11  have  to  tell 
me  now." 

"  May  I,  Waldy  ?  "  asked  Lord  Alfred. 

"  I  don't  care.  I  'm  not  responsible  for  you, 
thank  the  Lord.  You  had  better  take  care, 
though.  You  are  in  Her  Majesty's  dominions, 
you  know,  and  it  may  be  the  worse  for  you. 
There  is  a  citadel  at  the  capital  with  some  dun 
geons  in  it  at  Her  Majesty's  disposal." 

"  Don't  let  him  frighten  you,  Lord  Alfred. 
I  am  only  a  little  two-for-a-penny  queen,  with 


1 68  Her  Majesty. 

all  the  bother  and  fuss,  and  none  of  the  im 
portance.  I  won't  hurt  you.  We  give  you  our 
royal  word." 

"  I  only  said  Your  Majesty  was  a  jolly  girl," 
Lord  Alfred  explained,  "  and  almost  lost  my 
life  in  consequence."  The  Queen  laughed. 

"  I  would  be  if  I  had  the  ghost  of  a  chance," 
she  said,  half  in  jest  and  half  in  earnest.  "  Do 
you  know,  Lord  Alfred,  this  is  the  first  time  in 
all  my  life  I  ever  talked  alone  with  strangers, 
without  ladies  in  waiting  and  duennas  standing 
by  and  criticising  every  word  I  said.  If  Mile, 
von  Ettersberg  were  here,  she  would  be  shocked 
to  death  at  my  saying  '  a  ghost  of  a  chance  ' ; 
indeed,  this  conversation  could  not  have  hap 
pened  at  all.  Slang,  or  even  colloquial  expres 
sions,  are  her  abhorrence." 

"  I  don't  see  how  Your  Majesty  had  the 
ghost  of  a  chance  to  learn  any,"  Mr.  Greer 
remarked. 

"  Mme.  Duvalet,  my  governess,  used  to  say 
that  I  had  the  most  extraordinary  faculty  for 
picking  up  things  I  was  n't  expected  to  know. 
Besides,  Mr.  Greer,  I  am  an  inveterate  novel 
reader.  I  know  a  great  many  of  your  Ameri 
can  authors." 


A  Red-Letter  Day.  169 

"Which  does  Your  Majesty  like  best?"  he 
asked,  and  then  the  talk  turned  to  books. 

None  of  the  four  ever  forgot  that  afternoon, 
sitting  close  together  on  the  leeward  side  of  the 
yacht,  with  the  wind  fresh  in  their  faces  and  an 
occasional  jet  of  spray  dashing  up  and  sprink 
ling  them.  Lord  Alfred  never  spoke  of  Her 
Majesty  afterwards  but  as  "  the  jolliest  girl  I 
ever  knew  "  ;  and  Mr.  Greer  talked  of  their  day's 
cruise  until  his  family  and  friends  declared  the 
honor  had  turned  his  head. 

"  I  don't  believe  she  was  half  so  clever  and 
amusing  as  you  and  Alf  thought  her,"  said  his 
sister,  who  had  married  Lord  Alfred's  elder 
brother  the  Duke.  "  I  am  sure  I  should  have 
seen  nothing  in  her  but  a  stubby,  insignificant 
little  tow-headed  girl,  who  thought  it  a  very 
big  thing  to  be  queen  of  that  potato  patch  of  a 
country.  It  was  very  kind  and  condescending 
of  her,  and  yet  I  have  no  doubt  you  could  buy 
the  whole  of  it,  Arthur,  and  never  miss  the 
money." 

"How  about  Waldeck?  He  is  only  one  of 
her  many  subjects,  and  I  don't  notice  any  lack 
of  the  necessaries  of  life  about  him." 

"  Oh,  Count  Waldeck,"  said  the  Duchess,  and 


1 70  Her  Majesty. 

the  conversation  ended.  She  had  met  Waldeck 
in  town  more  than  once  the  season  before. 

"  By  the  way,"  Mr.  Greer  put  his  head  back 
through  the  door  to  say  this.  "  By  the  way, 
Mary,  Her  Majesty's  hair  is  dark  and  wavy,  and 
she  is  an  inch  taller  than  you.  I  have  sent  for 
her  picture,  and  you  shall  see  it  when  it  comes." 

To  Honoria's  delight,  Hugo  was  the  jolliest 
of  them  all  that  afternoon.  It  was  a  great 
pleasure  to  her  to  see  him,  for  the  first  time 
among  his  equals,  not  merely  holding  his  own, 
but  evidently  a  person  of  consequence  to  them. 
When  they  got  in  the  lee  of  some  islands,  the 
wind  dropped  so  that  Mr.  Greer  could  get 
his  guitar  and  sing  to  them.  Then  they  had 
some  part  songs,  and  then  they  were  out  in 
the  wind  again. 

Fortune  favored  Honoria  and  Hugo  now  in 
the  appearance  of  a  yacht  about  half  a  mile 
from  them.  Mr.  Greer  and  Lord  Alfred,  who 
were  enthusiastic  yachtsmen,  ran  to  the  other 
side  to  get  a  look  at  her,  and  see  if  they  recog 
nized  her. 

"  I  didn't  hope  for  this,"  Hugo  began  when 
he  was  alone  with  Honoria.  The  latter  sighed 
as  she  asked  a  little  impatiently : 


A  Red-Letter  Day.  1 7 1 

"  Why  will  you  speak  to  me  so  deferentially  ? 
Oh,  it  is  a  dreadful  thing  to  be  a  Queen  !  Even 
you  cannot  get  from  under  the  shadow  of  it 
and  treat  me  like  a  woman,  the  woman  who 
loves  you.  It  is  just  as  well  we  cannot  see  each 
other  often  ;  for  we  are  getting  farther  and  far 
ther  away  every  minute,  and  that  would  break 
my  heart.  I  think  you  would  have  had  no  dif 
ficulty  at  all  in  accepting  the  position  I  offered 
you."  Hugo  began  to  protest,  but  she  inter 
rupted  him  :  "  I  am  not  blaming  you.  It  is 
something  you  cannot  help.  It  is  my  fate.  It 
has  been  decreed  that  I  am  never  to  be  near  to 
any  human  creature,  and-I  am  so  lonely  !  With 
out  absolute  equality,  love  is  a  farce.  I  never 
should  have  loved  you,  Hugo,  if  I  had  known 
you  as  a  queen.  I  told  you  to-day  you  did  not 
seem  the  same  person  to  me.  Your  personal 
ity  would  always  be  attractive,  but  there  is  none 
of  the  old  enthusiastic  manner,  the  domineer 
ing  way  I  loved  so,  that  made  me  put  on  my 
old  plaid  shawl  when  I  was  not  cold  and  sit 
down  when  I  wanted  to  stand.  You  never 
tease  me  now,  nor  make  fun  of  my  ideas.  You 
are  the  most  democratic  man  in  the  world,  but 
my  rank  impresses  you  in  spite  of  yourself. 


172  Her  Majesty. 

It  must  be  that,  for  you  were  never  in  the  least 
afraid  of  me- — I  should  say  you  were  not ! 
Have  I  got  to  lose  you  in  spirit  as  well  as  in 
fact?" 

"  I  cannot  help  it,"  he  answered,  looking 
unutterable  things  at  her.  "  I  cannot  help 
being  afraid  of  presuming  on  our  past,  and  I 
can  believe  only  by  fits  and  starts  that  you  love 
me.  I  am  afraid  of  being  too  familiar,  of  hav 
ing  you  assume  the  royal  manner  to  me.  That 
I  could  n't  bear  and —  '  He  stopped  abruptly 
as  Mr.  Greer  joined  them.  Neither  he  nor 
Lord  Alfred  had  been  able  to  recognize  the 
yacht. 

When  they  came  to  anchor,  Mr.  Greer  went 
below  and  brought  up  the  Baroness  and  Mile, 
von  Ettersberg,  the  latter  very  sulky,  and  both 
limp,  dejected,  and  orange  colored.  After  they 
had  been  helped  down  into  the  launch,  the 
Queen  turned  to  Mr.  Greer. 

"  This  has  been  one  of  the  pleasantest  days 
I  ever  spent,"  she  said  cordially,  holding  out 
her  hand  to  him. 

"Do  I  kiss  it,  Waldeck?"  he  asked  in  pre 
tended  embarrassment. 

"  No  ;  you  shake  it,"    said  Her  Majesty,  and 


A  Red-Letter  Day.  1 73 

completed  his  subjugation  by  giving  him  what 
he  called  a  "  good  American  hand-shake."  She 
did  the  same  to  Lord  Alfred. 

"  I  don't  suppose  I  ought  to  shake  hands  with 
Count  Waldeck  because  he  is  my  subject,"  she 
said, laughing. 

"  Oh,  do,"  pleaded  Lord  Alfred.  "  Poor  fel 
low,  he  will  feel  so  badly.  I  will  write  a  letter 
to  the  papers  and  explain  if  there  *s  any  talk 
about  it." 

"  Kissing  is  good  enough  for  me,  "  Waldeck 
interposed.  "  Good-by,  my  Queen." 

"  I  don't  know  but  that  Waldeck  got  the  best 
of  it,"  Lord  Alfred  said  a  propos  of  nothing, 
when  they  were  having  their  after-dinner  smoke. 
"  He  squeezed  her  hand  while  he  kissed  it.  I 
saw  him." 

"You  see  too  much,  young  man,"  Hugo 
answered  good-temperedly. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

"THRONES  MUST  RING  WITH  WILD  ALARMS." 

THE  Queen  was  back  again  in  her  capitol, 
with  nothing  to  look  forward  to  but 
a  long  monotonous  winter  of  ennui. 
The  little  time  she  had  to  herself  was  all  that 
made  it  endurable.  She  had  flung  herself 
enthusiastically  into  the  study  of  Political 
Economy.  Hugo  had  given  her  a  list  of  books 
on  the  subject  in  the  early  days  of  their  acquaint 
ance,  and  now  she  read  them  all.  She  read  a 
great  many  works  on  history,  too,  and  as  many 
novels  as  she  could  find  time  for.  She  felt 
she  could  have  been  comparatively  happy  if  it 
had  not  been  for  the  long  weary  hours  that 
the  empty,  purposeless  duties  of  her  position 
demanded  ;  hours  when  her  mind  deserted  her 
body,  and  while  her  lips  made  mechanical 
remarks,  she  herself  had  time  to  go  over  the 
dear  delights  of  the  past  and  to  dwell  on  the 
174 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms,      i  75 

unspeakable  loneliness  of  the  present.  She 
often  reproached  herself  for  feeling  this  so 
keenly,  for  what  was  her  present  loneliness  com 
pared  to  that  before  she  met  Hugo?  It  was  a 
keener,  more  constant  sensation,  to  be  sure,  but 
there  was  a  sense  of  satisfaction  in  its  very  acute- 
ness.  She  now  knew  what  she  was  missing, 
and  the  knowledge,  painful  though  it  was,  was 
infinitely  better  than  the  sluggish  content  of 
ignorance. 

The  aspect  of  public  affairs  was  getting  daily 
more  threatening  ;  but  no  one  at  court,  except 
the  Queen,  heard  danger  in  the  murmurs  that 
reached  their  ears.  She  had  been  among  the 
people  and  knew  that  there  was  fire  as  well  as 
smoke.  The  courtiers,  with  Baron  Hausman 
at  their  head,  despised  them  too  much  to 
believe  that  they  would  take  definite  action  of 
any  kind. 

"  Your  Majesty  need  not  be  alarmed.  It  is 
all  talk :  they  won't  do  anything,"  was  the 
formula  with  which  he  finished  all  their  audi 
ences.  The  Queen  had  ceased  her  attempts  at 
political  reform,  feeling  that  a  crisis  was  near  at 
hand,  and  that  any  concessions  would  be  looked 
upon  as  an  evidence  of  fear  and  would  thereby 


1 76  Her  Majesty. 

precipitate  matters  ;  and  she  resolved  that,  come 
what  might,  she  would  stay  by  her  post  to  the 
last.  Although  she  knew  that  Hugo  had  lost 
his  influence  and  was  distrusted  as  much  as  her 
self  by  those  he  had  led  so  easily  eight  months 
before,  she  could  not  help  an  unreasoning  belief 
that  he  would  be  on  hand  and  save  her  in  case 
there  should  really  be  a  popular  uprising. 

At  Christmas,  the  Court  went  to  Elmendorf 
for  a  week.  The  little  hamlet  had  sunk  into  its 
winter's  sleep.  Two  or  three  vessels,  packed 
deep  in  the  ice  that  stretched  out  for  half  a 
mile  from  the  shore,  were  all  that  remained  to 
testify  to  the  summer's  activity.  Not  a  sail 
was  seen  on  the  horizon,  and  not  a  sign  of  life 
except  an  occasional  curl  of  smoke  from  the  top 
of  what  appeared  to  be  a  tall  hillock  of  snow. 
The  arrival  of  the  royal  party  waked  it  up  mo 
mentarily.  The  jingle  of  sleigh-bells  was  heard, 
and  all  the  short  days  and  far  into  the  moonlit 
nights  the  dark  stretches  of  ice  were  covered 
with  the  black  figures  of  skaters.  Mile,  von 
Ettersberg  shivered  in  her  furs  and  cursed  the 
warm  blood  of  her  mistress  as,  with  red  nose 
buried  in  her  muff  and  heart  beating  with  ap 
prehension,  she  skimmed  over  the  snow  at  her 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms.     1 77 

side,  behind  the  Hungarians,  excited  almost 
beyond  control  by  the  frost  in  the  air.  Ho- 
noria's  nose  never  reddened  ;  she  never  seemed 
to  feel  the  cold  ;  and  all  day  long  she  skated 
and  drove,  rejoicing  in  mere  bodily  activity. 
Poor  little  Sunny  was  for  once  in  sympathy 
with  Mile.  Clara,  and  shivered  in  his  warm 
corner  by  a  fire  of  logs.  Nanon  was  a  third, 
and  often  took  it  upon  herself  to  remonstrate 
with  the  Queen. 

"  Your  Majesty  is  not  going  out  again  ?  "  she 
would  say  whenever  she  met  her  wrapped  in 
her  sables. 

"  No ;  I  put  these  on  to  sit  in  the  house  and 
do  some  embroidery,"  Her  Majesty  would 
reply. 

"  Poor  Mile,  von  Ettersberg,"  Nanon  would 
continue,  her  heart  softening  toward  her 
enemy. 

"  Shall  I  take  you  instead  ? "  Her  Majesty 
would  ask. 

"  If  Your  Majesty  wants  to  get  rid  of  me, 
there  is  no  surer  way,"  Nanon  would  assert  in 
her  most  tearful  voice.  "  I  know  I  am  often 
a  trial  to  Your  Majesty,  but  it  won't  be  for 
long." 

12 


1 78  Her  Majesty. 

"  You  hypocritical  old  goose,"  the  Queen 
would  interrupt  her  with.  "  I  don't  under 
stand  your  sudden  attack  of  compassion  ;  but 
I  am  not  going  to  take  Clara  with  me  any 
more.  Her  indigo  face  gives  me  the  blues.  I 
am  going  to  take  Oscar  for  a  chaperon.  He 
would  be  much  more  useful  than  Clara  in  an 
emergency,  and  I  don't  think  even  the  most 
gossipy  of  gossips  could  accuse  me  of  want 
ing  to  flirt  with  a  stupid  boy  of  sixteen  who 
looks  about  twelve.  Good-by,  Nanon.  If  you 
have  n't  anything  better  to  do,  take  Sunny  in 
your  lap  and  let  him  go  to  sleep  there.  Poor 
little  fellow,  he  does  n't  live  up  to  his  name 
nowadays ! " 

At  ten  the  Queen  would  come  in  from  the 
arm  of  the  bay  that  had  been  kept  clear  of  snow 
for  her  especial  use,  put  on  a  dressing-gown,  dis 
miss  her  women,  and  sit  down  by  the  fire. 
All  the  excitement  of  the  day  was  gone  then, 
and  stern  realities  stared  her  in  the  face. 

"  What  a  child  I  am  !  "  she  would  say  to  her 
self.  "  Hugo  was  right  to  reproach  me  with  it. 
If  only  there  was  n't  any  night  and  any  reac^ 
tion  !  But  I  would  n't  really  have  it  so.  This 
unhappiness  on  his  account  is  worth  all  the  un- 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms,      i  79 

thinking  happiness  in  the  world.  O  Hugo,  if 
you  were  only  here  with  me!  "  And  then  she 
would  lose  herself  in  a  happy  dream  of  sitting 
close  by  his  side  in  her  sleigh,  or  skimming 
hand  in  hand  with  him  over  the  smooth  black 
ice,  or,  best  of  all,  of  sitting  quietly  here  by  the 
fire,  with  him  on  the  hearth-rug  at  her  feet,  his 
head  against  her  knees.  At  last  she  would 
rouse  herself  and  go  sadly  to  bed.  Christmas 
Day  was  the  worst  of  all,  with  the  festivities  and 
the  pretence  of  good  fellowship  and  good-will 
that  but  thinly  covered  the  jealousies  and  hatred 
lying  underneath.  The  mockery  of  a  Christmas 
without  love ! 

All  the  time  she  was  at  Elmendorf,  Honoria 
was  haunted  with  the  desire  to  go  up  to  the  top 
of  the  hill  where  she  had  spent  an  hour  with 
Hugo  the  summer  before,  and  see  her  name  on 
the  tree  where  his  fingers  had  put  it ;  but  the 
drifts  were  over  her  head,  and  snow  covered 
the  trees,  even  in  that  exposed  situation,  far 
above  the  letters  carved  there. 

It  was  not  until  the  end  of  March  that  the 
storm  broke.  Honoria  had  not  thought  it 
could  hold  off  so  long,  and  months  before  had 


180  Her  Majesty. 

sent  her  jewels  and  most  precious  personal  pos 
sessions  out  of  the  country  into  a  place  of 
safety  ;  but  Baron  Hausman  was  as  unprepared 
and  as  surprised  as  if  there  had  been  no  clouds 
in  the  sky.  The  occasion  was  a  report,  a  false 
report,  that  went  around  to  the  effect  that  an 
additional  tax  was  to  be  put  on  beer.  The 
Baron  had  been  urging  this  measure  for  a  long 
time  as  the  means  of  meeting  the  growing  de 
ficit  in  the  treasury,  but  the  Queen  had  steadily 
refused  to  sanction  it.  The  mere  rumor  caused 
mass-meetings  and  great  excitement  generally; 
and,  at  last,  the  most  radical  of  the  daily  papers 
came  out  with  the  announcement  that  it  was 
really  true,  reserving  the  comments  that  it  did 
not  dare  make.  This  caused  the  cloud  to  break. 
Demagogues  made  the  most  of  the  opportunity. 
Concealed  weapons  were  brought  out  from  every 
corner.  Companies  were  formed.  One  detach 
ment  marched  to  the  Citadel  and  took  posses 
sion,  meeting  with  no  opposition  from  the 
soldiers,  who  were  entirely  in  sympathy  with 
the  movement.  Stimulated  by  their  success 
and  by  the  casks  of  old  wine  they  discovered  in 
the  cellars  of  the  Citadel  and  broke  open  in  the 
market-place,  the  crowd  resolved  to  march  on 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms.      1 8 1 

the  Palace  and  raise  the  tricolor  flag  they  had 
adopted.  What  to  do  with  the  Queen  was  to 
be  left  to  the  impulse  of  the  moment. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  wildest  panic  pervaded 
the  Palace.  Baron  Hausman  set  out  for  the 
frontier  at  the  first  gun-fire ;  and  Clara  and  the 
Baroness  besought  leave  to  go  to  their  friends, 
and  to  a  less  dangerous  place,  which  was  readily 
granted.  Others  followed  their  example,  and 
by  nightfall  Her  Majesty  was  left  alone  with 
Nanon,  Oscar,  Sunny,  and  a  few  frightened 
servants.  Nanon  steadily  refused  to  leave.  She 
had  a  nephew  who  was  a  person  of  importance 
among  the  rebels,  and  she  looked  to  him  to 
protect  her,  and  in  so  far  as  he  could,  her  royal 
mistress.  Oscar  proved  faithful,  too,  which 
made  the  Queen  regret  her  many  remarks  about 
his  stupidity.  Nevertheless,  he  was  in  an  agony 
of  terror,  more  for  the  Queen  than  for  himself, 
and  he  besought  her  on  his  knees  to  fly  and  put 
herself  in  a  place  of  safety.  The  Queen  usually 
hated  to  sew  ;  but  to-day  she  took  out  a  piece 
of  embroidery  of  Mile.  Clara's,  and  sat  stitch 
ing  steadily  all  day,  careless  of  the  havoc  she 
was  making  in  that  beautiful  piece  of  work. 
She  did  not  feel  especially  alarmed.  She  knew 


1 82  Her  Majesty. 

the  people,  though  they  did  not  know  her,  and, 
therefore,  did  not  have  terrors  of  the  unknown 
to  combat.  Hers  was  the  security  of  ignorance, 
for  she  had  never  seen  them  roused,  and  did 
not  know  the  power  of  excitement  and  drink 
to  transform  a  man  into  a  wild  animal.  Then, 
she  felt  sure  that  Hugo  knew  what  was  going 
on  and  would  be  there  to  look  out  for  her  if 
there  was  any  real  danger.  Her  heart  beat 
faster  at  this  thought,  as  if  she  had  heard  his 
step  in  the  next  room, — a  result  that  all  the 
danger  around  her  had  been  powerless  to  ac 
complish. 

Towards  five  o'clock,  the  shouts  and  signs 
of  uproar  that  had  reached  them  at  intervals, 
throughout  the  day,  grew  more  distinct.  Sunny 
barked  uneasily,  and  Oscar,  who  was  in  one  of 
the  Palace  towers,  brought  down  word  that  a 
dark  mass  of  men  was  pouring  out  of  the  east 
gate  of  the  city,  and  taking  the  road  that  led 
to  the  Palace.  He  renewed  his  entreaties  for 
her  to  escape,  until  his  mistress  stopped  him, 
while  Nanon  began  to  weep  and  tell  her  beads. 
The  Queen  alone  sat  calmly  by  a  window  that 
overlooked  the  road,  carefully  choosing  her 
silks. 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms.     183 

"  Clara  has  no  eye  for  color,  for  all  she  does 
such  exquisite  work,"  she  remarked  quietly  to 
Nanon.  The  noise  was  coming  nearer  and  nearer. 
The  Palace  gates  were  shut  by  the  trembling 
servants,  although  the  Queen  had  given  no 
such  orders.  In  five  minutes  more  they  would 
be  before  them.  Did  they  come  in  peace  or 
come  in  war ;  was  it  for  compromise  or  murder  ? 

"  I  should  like  to  see  him  once  more  ! "  the 
Queen  said  half  aloud,  dropping  her  work  for 
the  first  time. 

At  that  moment  a  terror-stricken  footman 
rushed  frantically  into  the  room,  a  big  parcel 
in  his  hands. 

"  Please,  Your  Majesty,"  he  gasped.  "  A 
man  is  below  at  the  east  gate  of  the  Palace 
with  two  horses.  He  said  I  was  to  give  these 
clothes  to  Your  Majesty  to  put  on,  and  to  give 
Your  Majesty  this."  It  was  a  little  gold  whistle. 

The  next  second,  the  Queen  was  alone  in  the 
room,  with  Nanon  helping  her  into  a  rough  suit 
of  boy's  clothes. 

"  It  's  all  right,"  she  explained  to  the  sob 
bing  old  woman.  She  had  to  raise  her  voice  to 
be  heard  above  the  noise  outside.  "  You  need 
not  be  anxious  about  me.  Count  Waldeck  has 


184  Her  Majesty. 

come  for  me.  I  have  been  expecting  him, 
Take  good  care  of  Sunny."  The  next  minute 
she  had  disappeared,  running  down  stairs  like  a 
boy,  her  hair  bundled  into  a  big  felt  hat.  The 
mob  was  clamoring  at  the  western  gate. 

"  Hurry,  we  have  not  a  moment  to  lose,"  a 
man  in  a  rough  suit  of  workingman's  clothes 
called  out  to  her  as  she  let  herself  out  the  little 
gate  at  the  east. 

"O  Hugo!"  she  exclaimed,  flinging  herself 
into  the  saddle  of  the  horse  he  held  for  her.  It 
was  getting  dark ;  but  there  was  still  light 
enough  for  some  stragglers  who  were  ahead  of 
the  detachment  that  was  to  attempt  the  eastern 
gate  to  see  the  two  figures  in  the  saddle. 

"Halt!"  one  of  them  called  in  a  voice  of 
command.  They  urged  their  horses  onward. 

"  Halt,  or  I  '11  fire  !  "  the  voice  repeated. 
Honoria's  horse  fell  under  her.  With  a  quick 
leap  she  extricated  herself  from  him.  Her 
training  at  Elmendorf  stood  her  in  good  stead 
now.  Hugo  took  in  the  situation  at  a  glance. 
He  reached  down  his  hand  to  her.  She  stepped 
on  his  foot  and  swung  herself  up  behind  him. 
The  men  came  rushing  up,  only  to  find  the 
dead  horse  and  to  hear  hoof-beats  in  the  dis- 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms.      185 

tance.  They  fired  an  ineffectual  volley  in  the 
direction  from  which  they  came  ;  but  the  pros 
pect  of  sacking  the  Palace  was  too  tempting  for 
further  investigating,  even  if  there  had  been  a 
horse  among  them. 

"  You  are  cold,  my  Queen?"  Hugo  asked, 
feeling  her  shiver.  They  had  gone  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile,  and  he  had  pulled  up  his 
horse  ;  for  the  shouts  had  died  away  in  the  dis 
tance,  and  no  sounds  of  pursuit  were  heard. 
He  took  a  cloak  from  his  saddle-bow  and  gave 
it  to  her  to  put  around  her.  She  threw  it 
around  him,  too,  in  spite  of  his  protests. 

"A  little  chilly,"  she  answered  mechanically, 
feeling  somewhat  dazed.  "  I  shivered  more 
from  excitement  than  cold." 

It  was  settling  into  a  damp,  dark  night.  Fog 
was  on  all  sides  of  them  and  the  dripping  trees 
hung  low  over  the  road,  which  was  a  mass  of 
unfathomable  slush.  The  horse's  hoofs  sank 
down  deep  at  every  step. 

"  It  was  lucky  for  you,  old  fellow,  that  they 
did  n't  try  to  catch  us,"  Hugo  said,  addressing 
him.  "  Did  you  think  I  was  n  't  coming  ?  "  he 
went  on  to  Honoria. 

"  I  had  just  thought  so,"  she  answered,  tight- 


1 86  Her  Majesty. 

ening  her  arms  around  him  and  laying  her  cheek 
against  his  shoulder.  He  could  feel  her  heart 
beat  and  the  quick  agitated  heaving  of  her 
bosom. 

"I  had  not  expected  it  so  soon,  and  it  was 
late  before  the  news  could  reach  me." 

"  Where  were  you  ?  "  she  asked,  wondering 
at  his  undemonstrativeness.  He  might  have 
parted  from  her  the  day  before. 

"Just  over  the  frontier,  at  Helmen.  That 
is  where  I  am  going  to  take  you.  I  have 
secured  passports  and  made  all  arrangements, 
so  we  shall  have  no  difficulty  getting  in  there. 
After  that,  you  will  travel  as  my  sister  until  we 
reach  Vienna,  and  then  I  will  put  you  in  the 
hands  of  my  relatives  there  until  you  make 
some  plans  for  the  future.  Undoubtedly  a 
choice  of  royal  protectors  will  be  offered  you 
as  soon  as  this  is  known." 

Honoria's  heart  sank,  and  she  involuntarily 
loosened  her  hold  as  she  listened  to  his  tone, 
which  dismayed  her  even  more  than  his  words. 
It  was  calm,  deferential,  elder-brotherly,  any 
thing  but  lover-like.  Did  he  mean  that  their 
lives  should  not  come  together,  now  when  fate 
had  at  last  removed  the  obstacle  between 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms.      \  8  7 

them?  Evidently  he  did  ;  for,  after  a  pause,  he 
went  on  : 

"  I  want  to  tell  Your  Majesty  that  you  can 
trust  yourself  to  me  in  perfect  security,  that  I 
shall  never  forget  my  duty  or  my  respect  to  my 
Queen ;  for  you  will  always  be  my  Queen,  no 
matter  what  new  gods  your  people  may  choose 
to  set  up." 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  Honoria  answered  coldly. 
"  I  wish  I  were  n't  so  sure  of  it,"  she  added  to 
herself.  "  Don't  call  me  Your  Majesty,  though, 
even  to  show  your  respect.  It  sounds  so  silly 
when  I  am  in  these  clothes." 

"  As  you  please,"  he  answered  deferentially, 
and  neither  spoke  for  some  minutes.  Here 
was  a  new  complication,  when  she  had  supposed 
all  the  difficulties  to  be  over. 

"I  might  have  known  it,"  she  thought  petu 
lantly.  "  Of  course,  he  won't  make  love  to  me 
when  I  am  under  his  protection — in  his  power ; 
and  when  Hugo  makes  up  his  mind  to  a 
thing — !  The  question  is,  can  I  make  him 
change  it  or  not  ?  I  am  inclined  to  think  I 
can  !  "  Here  she  laughed  a  little  laugh. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "   Hugo  asked. 

"Oh,  nothing.     It    was    just    nervousness." 


1 88  Her   Majesty. 

Hugo  wrapped  the  cloak  tighter  around  her, 
and  she  went  on  with  her  inward  communings. 
"  It 's  too  silly  for  words.  As  if  he  were  a 
common  kind  of  man  that  you  could  n't  give 
an  inch  to,  or  several  inches,  and  as  if  he  did  n't 
know  I  knew  he  was  n't !  I  wonder  what  quix 
otic  notion  he  has  in  his  head  now ;  it  is  n't 
all  regard  for  our  unconventional  situation.  I 
shall  have  to  find  out." 
"  Hugo." 

"  Well,  my  Queen  ?  " 
"  Where  are  you  taking  me  to  now?  " 
"  I  was  wondering  how  long  before  you  would 
want  to  know.  I  am  taking  you  to  Waldeck 
Castle  by  a  roundabout  way.  No  one  would 
dream  of  looking  for  a  runaway  queen  there; 
and,  besides,  nothing  could  hire  any  of  the 
people  to  go  there  after  dark.  You  know  they 
think  it  is  haunted.  My  horse  has  been  a  long 
distance  to-day,  and  this  is  too  heavy  a  load. 
We  are  neither  of  us  featherweights.  I  have 
had  a  couple  of  others  in  readiness  at  the  Cas 
tle  for  months.  We  will  spend  the  night  there, 
and  start  for  Helmen  as  soon  as  it  is  light,  and 
if  nothing  happens,  we  ought  to  get  there  early 
in  the  afternoon." 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms.     189 

"  Will  Mrs.  Banner  be  at  the  Castle  ?  I  only 
asked  for  curiosity,"  she  added  quickly.  "  I 
was  wondering  if  she  would  recognize  me  in 
this  rig." 

"  No  ;  no  one  is  there  except  a  boy  who  takes 
care  of  the  horses.  You  see,  I  did  not  expect 
to  have  to  take  you  there.  I  thought  we  could 
go  straight  to  Helmen.  I  was  coming  up  here 
to-morrow  to  be  in  readiness." 

"Oh,  I  don't  mind.  You  are  as  proper  a 
chaperon  as  any  one  could  wish,  yourself.  I 
am  glad  Mrs.  Banner  is  n't  here,  because  she 
would  expect  me  to  be  ashamed  at  being  in 
these  clothes,  and  I  am  not  at  all.  It  is  the 
only  proper  wear.  Petticoats  are  an  abomina 
tion." 

"An  abomination  that  you  seem  to  take  a 
great  deal  of  pleasure  in." 

"  Indeed,  I  do.  I  don't  know  whether  I 
hate  or  love  my  clothes  the  most.  Poor 
things  !  I  wonder  what  is  happening  to  them 
now.  Perhaps  the  horrid,  dirty  creatures  are 
dressing  up  in  them.  I  only  hope  Nanon  and 
dear  little  Sunny  are  all  right.  You  kno\v 
Schmidt  is  her  nephew,  and,  of  course,  he  '11 
look  after  her.  Clara  left  me  early  in  the 


i  go  Her  Majesty. 

morning— I  am  surprised  you  did  not  ask  about 
her,  Hugo — and  so  did  the  Baroness,  Lord 
Alfred's  admiration." 

"  And  Baron  Hausman  ?  " 

"  Off  the  first  minute." 

"  And  you  were  there  all  alone?  " 

"  Nanon,  and  Oscar,  and  Sunny  were  with 
me."  Honoria  could  feel  him  start  to  say 
something,  which  he  suppressed.  She  smiled 
a  contented  little  smile. 

"  I  can  stand  it  as  long  as  he  can,"  she  mur 
mured  to  herself.  "  How  strange  that  we  should 
be  talking  of  my  clothes,  and  Clara,  when  such 
big  things  are  happening  over  there,"  she  went 
on,  aloud. 

"  That  's  just  it,  they  are  so  big,"  Hugo  an 
swered.  "  People  don't  discuss  death  at  a 
funeral.  But  here  we  are,  my  Queen.  I  think 
you  had  better  come  around  to  the  stables  with 
me,  and  I  will  wake  up  the  boy  to  take  the 
horse." 

But  not  a  sign  of  a  boy  was  to  be  found. 
Two  horses  were  sleeping  comfortably  in  their 
box-stalls,  but  not  another  occupant  did  the 
stable  have.  Hugo  was  inclined  to  be  angry, 
but  Honoria  laughed,  as  she  said  : 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms.      \  9 1 

"  He  has  gone  to  see  the  circus.  How  could 
you  expect  him  to  stay  here  and  miss  it  all? 
Here,  I  '11  help  you  put  him  up.  Do  you  think 
I  don't  know  how  to  take  care  of  a  horse  ?  You 
must  let  me  :  I  'd  love  to.  I  have  n't  been 
doing  a  thing  all  day,  except  embroidery,  while 
you  have  had  a  hard  ride." 

After  they  had  made  the  horse  comfortable 
for  the  night,  Hugo  led  the  way  across  the 
courtyard,  unlocked  a  little  door  in  the  south 
east  turret  of  the  castle,  and  led  Honoria  up  a 
winding  staircase  to  some  rooms  on  the  second 
story. 

"  I  shall  have  to  take  you  to  my  rooms,  as 
they  are  the  only  ones  habitable,  except  Mrs. 
Banner's,  and  hers  are  locked.  You  don't 
mind,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Why  should  I  ?"  asked  Her  Majesty,  look 
ing  around,  as  well  as  the  light  of  a  stable  lan 
tern  would  permit,  at  the  beautiful  room  in 
which  she  stood.  "  How  lovely  this  is  !  You 
did  n't  show  it  to  me  that  time,  Hugo." 

"  No  ;  it  seemed  safer  not  to.  Will  you  go 
into  my  bedroom  and  make  yourself  at  home, 
my  Queen  ?  It  has  no  other  door,  and  I  will 
stay  here," 


192  Her  Majesty. 

"  I  don't  have  to  go  to  bed  this  very  minute, 
do  I  ?  I  'm  so  cold,  and  hungry,  Hugo." 
Hugo  laughed. 

"  Not  unless  you  want  to.  I  was  going  to 
make  a  fire,  and  then  hunt  up  something  to  eat. 
I  have  n't  had  a  thing,  myself,  since  breakfast." 

"  Let  me  make  the  fire  ;  it  will  be  quicker. 
There  seems  to  be  plenty  of  wood  here.  Dear 
me,  how  cold  disused  rooms  are.  This  seems 
to  have  all  the  winter  shut  up  in  it.  Now, 
Hugo,  I  don't  want  to  have  a  continual  fight 
with  you,  so  I  tell  you  plainly  that  I  am  going 
to  do  my  share  of  the  work  on  this  expedition, 
just  as  if  I  were  a  real  boy,  not  out  of  consid 
eration  for  you,  but  because  I  want  to.  One  of 
the  hardest  things  for  me  to  learn  has  been  to 
be  gracefully  idle.  Now,  go." 

When  Hugo  came  back,  he  found  a  roaring 
fire  of  pine  boughs,  and  Her  Majesty  lying 
stretched  out  in  front  of  it.  She  looked  very 
slight  and  boyish  in  her  coarse  suit  of  rough 
serge.  The  mass  of  hair  on  her  head  made  a 
funny  contrast.  She  did  not  get  up  when  he 
came  in. 

"  I  am  tasting  the  delights  of  being  a  boy," 
she  explained.  "  What  have  you  got  there  ? 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms.      193 

I  hope  there  's  something  to  cook,  and  that 
you  '11  let  me  cook  it." 

"  I  could  n't  find  anything  but  half  a  boiled 
ham,  some  stale  bread,  pretty  fair  butter,  and  a 
couple  of  bottles  of  beer.  I  told  Mrs.  Banner 
to  leave  something  for  me  in  case  I  wanted  it, 
and  that  is  what  she  left !  " 

"  Well,  what's  the  matter  with  that  ?  I  '11 
toast  the  bread  on  the  tongs,  and  you  can  cut 
the  ham.  Is  n't  this  fun  ?  I  don't  believe  you 
half  appreciate  it,  Hugo." 

"  Ah,  you  don't  know !  "  he  answered,  with 
more  warmth  than  he  had  hitherto  shown. 
Honoria  turned  away  her  head  to  hide  a  smile 
as  she  went  on  : 

"  But  then,  of  course  you  are  free  to  do  this 
sort  of  thing  any  time  ;  cast  off  the  trammels 
of  civilization,  I  mean,  while  I  suppose  I  shall 
have  to  go  back  to  slavery  immediately.  No 
doubt,  whatever  royalty  I  decide  to  let  take  me 
up  will  want  to  arrange  a  marriage  for  me.  I 
don't  suppose  they  will  have  any  great  diffi 
culty  about  it  even  if  I  have  lost  my  crown, 
because,  you  know,  I  have  those  big  Hunga 
rian  estates  my  mother  left  me.  I  shall  have 

plenty  of  money.     I  sha'  n't  have  the  slightest 
13 


194  Her  Majesty. 

difficulty  paying  you  back  what  I  cost  you. 
All  the  same,  Hugo,  I  think  you  might  have 
invested  a  little  more  in  these  clothes.  Were 
they  a  misfit,  or  did  you  get  cheated  ?  See, 
here!"  and  Queen  Honoria  poked  her  finger 
through  a  thin  place  in  the  cloth.  Hugo  laughed, 
although  he  did  not  look  very  much  as  if  he 
wanted  to. 

"  Why,  I  had  to  get  something  cheap  and 
common-looking.  They  are  not  second-hand, 
though.  As  if  I  would  bring  you  anything 
that  had  ever  been  worn  before  !  You  could  n't 
travel  around  unobserved  in  a  suit  of  Poole's." 

"  Oh,  well,  if  it  was  n't  miserliness,"  said  Her 
Majesty,  provokingly.  "  Dear  me  !  I  wish  I 
could  get  warm.  The  chill  seems  to  have  got 
into  my  bones.  To  tell  the  honest  truth,  I  am 
afraid  I  have  n't  on  warm  enough  clothes  un 
derneath  these  things.  You  see,  I  did  n't  have 
the  proper  garments."  Hugo  laughed,  as  he 
rose  to  his  feet,  and  said  : 

"  Come  with  me  to  my  sister's  room.  Her 
clothes  are  there  just  as  she  left  them.  Mrs. 
Banner  keeps  them  aired  ;  and  perhaps  you 
can  find  some  things  you  would  like."  He 
picked  up  the  stable  lantern,  which  was  all  the 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms.      195 

light  they  had  except  the  fire  and  a  couple  of 
candles,  and  led  the  way  out  of  the  room. 
Honoria  followed,  their  footsteps  echoing  dis, 
mally  in  the  empty  passage.  He  stopped  at 
the  end  door,  took  a  key  off  a  bunch  he  had  in 
his  pocket,  and  unlocked  the  door.  The  room 
had  a  queer,  disused  odor,  and  the  bed  and 
windows  were  dismantled.  Faded  pink  hang 
ings  covered  the  walls.  Out  of  it  opened  a 
smaller  room,  lined  with  oak  presses  with  draw 
ers  underneath.  Nothing  was  locked. 

"  Here  I  '11  leave  you  to  help  yourself,"  he 
said,  and  retired  into  the  next  room.  The 
drawers  were  full  of  the  finest  of  undercloth 
ing,  some  warm  flannels  among  them.  Honoria 
made  a  selection  and  then  opened  the  doors 
above.  There  were  rows  upon  rows  of  party 
gowns,  old-fashioned  but  fresh  and  unworn. 
She  called  Hugo  back. 

"  It  makes  me  feel  so  badly  to  see  them," 
she  explained.  "  Just  think,  she  was  younger 
than  I,  and  she  had  eyes  and  hair  just  the  color 
of  mine." 

"  How  did  you  know  that  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  You  told  me  so  yourself,  some  thirteen 
years  ago.  Yes,  I  remember  every  syllable  you 


196  Her  Majesty. 

said  to  me  that  day.  And  how  I  longed  to  re 
mind  you  of  some  things  when  you  told  me 
about  it !  And  she  must  have  loved  fun  and 
dancing,  and  dear,  delightful  worldly  things, 
or  she  would  not  have  had  such  pretty  clothes. 
See  here  !  "  She  called  his  attention  to  a 
dancing-card  that  was  hanging  by  its  tassel  to 
a  hook  on  a  white  lace  gown.  Hugo  lifted  and 
opened  it  with  reverential  fingers. 

"  It  was  the  last  party  she  ever  went  to. 
Poor,  dear  Helena  !  I  should  like  to  tell  you 
all  about  her  some  time.  She  came  back  here 
with  my  father  and  me,  and  we  were  going  to 
settle  down  and  have  a  home  instead  of  vibra 
ting  between  London  and  Paris  ;  but  she  took 
a  bad  cold  the  week  after  we  got  here,  and  it 
turned  into  pneumonia,  and  then  my  father 
hated  the  place  worse  than  ever,  and  we  never 
came  back  again.  That  is  why  I  have  been  so 
little  at  home."  Honoria  lifted  the  card,  and 
pressed  her  lips  upon  it. 

"  Poor,  dear  girl  !  "  she  said,  with  tears  in 
her  eyes.  "  Perhaps  one  of  the  names  that  are 
scrawled  here  meant  a  great  deal  to  her,  though 
I  don't  believe  she  'd  have  left  the  card  hanging 
on  her  gown,  if  it  had,  do  you,  Hugo?  She  'd 
have  found  another  place  for  it." 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms.      197 

"  I  never  knew  of  her  caring  for  any  one, 
though  I  don't  suppose  I  should  have  known 
about  it  if  she  had.  She  was  only  nineteen 
when  she  died,  and  so  pretty  and  bright  and 
attractive.  She  always  had  crowds  of  men 
around  her,  from  the  time  she  could  walk, 
and  she  had  such  loads  of  artistic  talent.  I 
have  a  number  of  her  sketches  in  my  rooms  at 
London  that  I  should  like  you  to  see  some 
time.  Is  there  anything  here  that  you  want? 
You  had  better  take  one  of  these  cloaks  to 
wrap  yourself  in."  She  chose  a  long  wrap  of 
heavy  pink  satin  lined  with  ermine. 

"  Now,  will  you  go  to  bed,  my  Queen  ? " 
Hugo  asked,  when  they  were  back  in  his  rooms. 

"  It  is  n't  late,  is  it  ?  I  am  not  at  all  sleepy  ; 
and,  besides,  I  don't  suppose  we  shall  see  much 
of  each  other  after  to-morrow  and  next  day,  so 
we  might  as  well  make  the  most  of  it."  Her 
tone  was  perfectly  matter-of-fact.  Hugo's  face 
fell,  but  he  only  said : 

"  I  don't  think  you  had  better  undress.  I 
don't  expect  any  disturbance,  but  it  is  just  as 
well  to  be  prepared." 

"  No,  I  did  n't  intend  to.  Well,  perhaps  I 
had  better  go  to  my  room,  as  we  shall  have  to 
be  starting  so  early.  Good-night,  Hugo." 


198  Her  Majesty. 

"  Good-night,  my  Queen.  Do  not  be  afraid, 
but  I  do  not  need  to  tell  you  that." 

There  was  a  smile  on  Queen  Honoria's  face 
that  almost  became  a  laugh  as,  candle  in  hand, 
she  shut  the  door  behind  her.  She  took  off 
her  boy's  clothes,  put  on  the  warmer  clothing 
she  had  brought,  and  then  put  them  on  again. 
Next  she  took  down  her  long  thick  hair  and 
arranged  it  in  a  picturesque  fashion.  After 
that,  she  wrapped  the  pink  cloak  around  her, 
and  going  to  the  door,  tapped  gently  and 
opened  it.  There  was  no  light  in  the  room 
except  what  the  fire  gave. 

"  Can't  I  please  lie  down  on  the  other  settle 
in  here?"  she  asked.  "It  is  so  cold  in  there, 
and  I  am  sure  there  are  mice.  Shut  up  places 
always  have  them.  I  feel  rather  nervous,  too." 
Hugo  looked  at  the  dazzling  vision  that  stood 
before  him  ;  then  turned  away  his  head  as  he 
answered,  as  indifferently  as  he  could  : 

"  You  will  find  it  hard,  but  I  will  get  a  blanket 
to  soften  it  and  put  over  you."  He  gave  it  to 
her  and  let  her  arrange  her  bed  for-  herself  on 
one  of  the  settles  that  stood  on  each  side  of  the 
recess  in  which  the  huge  fireplace  was  situated. 
Honoria's  heart  sank  down  into  her  stout  boy's 


Thrones  Ring  with  Wild  Alarms.      1 99 

shoes,  several  sizes  too  wide  for  her,  that  looked 
so  odd  below  her  elaborate  cloak. 

"  I  shall  have  to  try  my  last  resort,"  she  said 
to  herself.  Then  aloud  :  "  There  is  one  thing 
we  are  forgetting,  Hugo.  My  hair  will  give 
me  away  to-morrow  unless  we  cut  it  off.  I  can't 
do  it  myself,  so  you  will  have  to.  I  will  get  the 
shears  off  your  writing  table  !  "  She  brought 
them  to  him  where  he  sat  on  the  opposite  settle 
and  kneeled  down  in  front  of  him,  resting  her 
arms  on  his  knees.  Hugo  did  not  answer,  but 
set  his  teeth,  took  the  shears  from  her  and  turn 
ing  his  eyes  away,  made  a  blind  reach  with  his 
hand  for  a  lock  of  hair.  The  shears  dropped 
to  the  oaken  floor  with  a  clang.  He  rose  has 
tily  to  his  feet,  almost  pushing  her  aside. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  she  asked,  really  alarmed. 

"  I  can't  do  it,"  he  said  in  a  harsh  voice. 
"  That  little  curl  in  front  of  your  ear  caught 
around  my  finger  just  like  a  baby's  hand." 
There  was  so  much  emotion  in  his  voice  that 
Honoria,  for  the  first  time,  felt  some  compunc 
tion.  She  rose  from  her  knees  and  murmured  : 

"  I  think  I  will  go  back  to  my  room.  I  am 
warm  now  and  this  settle  is  hard.  Perhaps  I 
can  hide  my  hair  under  that  big  hat."  She 


2OO  Her  JMajcsty. 

opened  the  door  and  shut  it  after  her,  com 
pletely  checkmated.  Hugo  was  standing  at 
the  window,  gazing  out  into  the  darkness.  He 
neither  turned  nor  moved  as  she  left  the  room. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   END   OF   THE   BEGINNING. 

SHE  was  awake  when,  at  the  gray  dawn,  he 
knocked  at  her  door.  In  a  few  minutes 
she  came  out  fully  dressed.  He  was 
standing  at  the  window,  apparently  just  where 
she  had  left  him,  gazing  out  into  the  morning 
twilight.  His  face  was  outlined  in  the  dim  light, 
and  Honoria  could  see  that  it  was  haggard  and 
unhappy.  He  turned  a  little  as  she  entered, 
and  she  went  straight  up  to  him  in  her  boy's 
clothes  that  evidently  did  not  cause  her  the 
slightest  embarrassment.  Her  hair  was  fast 
ened  close  to  her  head  now,  and  the  pink  cloak 
was  gone.  There  was  no  smile  on  his  face 
when  he  saw  her,  but  she  did  not  stop  for  that. 
She  put  her  arms  around  him  and  laid  her  head 
on  his  breast. 

"  Have  I  got  to  make  love  to  you,  Hugo?" 
she  asked,  and  then  she  burst  into  a  storm  of 

201 


202  Her  Majesty. 

tears.  Hugo  had  never  seen  her  cry  before, 
and  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  it.  It  sub 
jugated  him  completely,  however,  and  washed 
away  the  last  remaining  atom  of  his  pride. 

"  How  could  you  treat  me  so — be  so  hard  and 
unloving?  "  she  asked  a  few  minutes  later.  "  It 
is  rather  late  in  the  day  for  you  and  me  to  con 
sider  conventionality  ;  and  as  if  I  could  n't  trust 
you  to  any  extent,  under  any  circumstances, 
even  if  you  did  show  you  loved  me  !  " 

"  I  did  n't  want  to  take  advantage  and  I 
wanted  to  leave  you  free,  my  Nora  Creina,"  he 
explained.  "  You  had  seen  so  few  men,  and 
since  that  day  on  the  yacht  I  have  been  haunted 
by  the  horrible  thought  that  you  might  not 
care  for  me  if  you  knew  other  men.  What  am 
I  that  my  Queen  should  love  me?" 

"Now,  Hugo,  once  for  all,  we  have  had 
enough  of  this.  I  love  j>0«,  do  you  understand  ? 
And  if  you  were  Hiller  the  workingman,  I 
would  marry  you  to-morrow, — if  you  asked  me 
to.  Indeed,  in  that  case,  I  think  I  'd  ask  you. 
I  don't  care  what  you  are  or  are  not.  You  are 
the  one  man  in  the  world  to  me.  Now  don't 
let  me  have  to  tell  you  this  again  for  any  other 
reason  than  that  I  want  to.  I  am  afraid  I  shall 


The  End  of  the  Beginning.        203 

make  fierce  love  to  you,  Hugo  ;  it  is  such  a 
dreadful  thing  to  have  been  used  to  take  the 
initiative  all  your  life." 

"What  did  you  torment  me  so  for  last 
night  ? "  he  asked  a  little  later.  Honoria 
blushed  and  hid  her  face  on  his  shoulder. 

"  '  What  did  you  torment  me  so  for  ?  '  But 
don't  speak  of  that.  I  am  ashamed  of  it.  It 
was  n't  like  me,  either,  like  the  self  I  have  always 
known,  that  is,  though  I  have  always  suspected 
I  had  possibilities  of  the  Satanic  order." 

"  I  never  had  a  doubt  of  that,"  he  said 
fondly. 

"There  is  one  thing  I  don't  understand,"  she 
went  on  half  an  hour  after  this,  when  they 
were  riding  on  their  way  to  Helmen.  The  boy 
had  not  yet  turned  up,  so  they  had  to  saddle 
their  own  horses.  Hugo  had  taken  the  pre 
caution  to  place  their  breakfast  of  oats  ready 
for  them  the  night  before.  The  horse  he  had 
ridden  the  day  before  he  had  left  untied,  so 
that  he  could  help  himself  to  his  meals  in  case 
the  boy  did  not  return  immediately.  "  I  don't 
understand  the  way  you  have  treated  me  ever 
since  you  discovered  my  identity.  It  is  n't  at 
all  what  I  should  have  expected  of  Hiller's 


204  Her  Majesty. 

sledge-hammer  style  of  going  about  anything 
he  had  to  do." 

"  I  was  angry  at  first,  furiously  angry,"  he 
explained,  "  but  I  could  not  stay  angry  long. 
Then  after  you  came  to  me  in  the  prison  with 
your  shining  gown  and  your  jewels  and  your 
white  neck  and  shoulders  and  your  royal  man 
ner,  I  could  n't  feel  that  so  much  loveliness  was 
meant  for  me.  I  will  admit  that  it  is  n't  like  my 
usual  self  to  be  so  modest :  it 's  a  new  develop 
ment." 

"  There  is  n't  much  loveliness  about  it  just  at 
present,"  Honoria  said,  laughing  a  little  to  hide 
how  deeply  she  was  touched. 

"  You  don't  make  a  bad-looking  boy  at  all. 
I  should  take  you  to  be  about  fourteen  or  fif 
teen,  and  that  sombrero  hides  your  hair  per 
fectly.  I  say,  Nora,  did  you  mean  me  to  cut 
it  off  last  night?" 

"  Don't  talk  about  last  night,"  she  answered 
impatiently,  blushing  crimson,  much  to  Hugo's 
delight. 

"  Well,  I  won't.  I  '11  talk  about  this  morn 
ing  instead.  Did  you  mean  what  you  said 
about  marrying  Hiller  to-day  ?  " 

"  I  said  if  he  asked  me."     She  had  bent  her 


The  End  of  the  Beginning.        205 

head  so  that  her  hat  hid  her  face.  It  was  the 
first  time  he  had  seen  her  at  all  troubled  with 
shyness,  and  he  could  n't  keep  from  teasing  her 
a  little,  he  was  so  pleased. 

"  The  circumstances  are  so  very  inappropri 
ate.  Nora  dear,  I  can't  even  take  your  hand. 
Just  tell  me  you  will,  and  I'll  thank  you  a 
dozen  times  a  day  all  the  rest  of  my  life." 

"  That  is  what  they  always  say,"  Honoria 
answered,  recovering  her  usual  self,  much  to 
Hugo's  regret.  "  But  instead  of  '  Nora  dear,' 
it  will  most  likely  be,  '  Honoria,  there  's  a  but 
ton  off  my  shirt  again  ! ' ' 

"  I  don't  have  any  buttons  on  my  shirts," 
Hugo  protested  meekly. 

"You  don't?  You  are  quite  sure?"  Hugo 
made  as  if  to  take  off  his  coat.  "  I  '11  take  your 
word  for  it,  thank  you.  Well,  one  barrier  in 
the  way  to  woman's  independence  is  thrown 
down  !  Still,  Hugo,  it  would  be  just  as  well 
for  you  not  to  marry  me  for  my  sewing  quali 
fications.  I  don't  think  I  ever  sewed  on  a  but 
ton  in  my  life.  I  did  a  piece  of  embroidery  once  ; 
it  was  some  wild  roses,  and  if  you  had  seen  it ! 
Clara  was  too  polite  to  laugh,  but  Nanon  made 
lots  of  fun  of  it,  and  I  had  to  laugh  at  it,  too. 


206  Her  Majesty. 

Someway,  I  had  n't  realized  how  awful  it  was 
until  I  saw  it  as  a  whole.  Then  I  sewed  aH 
day  yesterday.  That  is  all,  I  think." 

"  Have  n't  you  changed  the  subject  enough 
now?"  Hugo  asked  mischievously.  He  reached 
out  and  took  her  hand.  "  Nora,  my  Queen, 
will  you  marry  me  this  very  day  ?  "  She  looked 
him  straight  in  the  eyes  now  as  she  answered : 

"  I  am  proud  and  glad  to  do  it  ;  but  who  can 
we  get  to  perform  the  ceremony  ?  Nobody 
would  marry  us  if  they  knew  who  I  was,  and  it 
would  n't  be  legal  if  they  did  n't." 

"  Father  Lalande  is  at  the  convent  at  Hel- 
men,  but  I  don't  suppose  he  will  hear  of  it," 
he  suggested.  "  He  has  been  there  for  a  week. 
I  suppose  he  had  better  information  than  I. 
The  people  are  very  bitter  against  the  Jesuits 
just  about  now." 

"  Oh,  if  Father  Lalande  is  there,  it  is  all 
right !  I  can  always  make  him  do  what  I 
want." 

"  What  arguments  will  you  use  this  time?  I 
confess  I  don't  think  you  can  manage  it." 

"  Just  wait  and  see." 

"  You  have  never  told  me  how  he  and  the 
Mother  Superior  came  to  let  you  have  the  key 


The  End  of  the  Beginning.        207 

to  the  convent  gates,"  Hugo  continued.  "  I 
have  wondered  a  great  deal  about  it."  Ho- 
noria  laughed. 

"  It  was  very  simple,"  she  said.  "  You  know 
I  am  not  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  have  never 
been  since  I  was  old  enough  to  know  I  had  a 
mind.  Mme.  Duvalet  saw  to  that.  Well,  I 
told  them,  politely  but  emphatically,  that  my 
renunciation  of  faith  should  be  published  in 
every  paper  in  the  Kingdom,  if  they  did  n't  let 
me  have  it  ;  and  also  the  fact  that  Father 
Lalande,  as  my  confessor,  had  known  it,  and 
had  not  reported  it  to  His  Holiness.  Of  course, 
it  would  have  been  a  terrible  blow  to  his  pres 
tige  ;  and  he  knew — I  reminded  him  of  it,  too — 
that  there  were  only  too  many  who  would 
gladly  follow  my  example  ;  for  the  country 
has  been  priest-ridden  too  long  not  to  be  glad 
of  an  opportunity  to  cast  off  the  yoke."  Hugo 
laughed. 

"  If  you  were  n't  the  cleverest !  Those  argu 
ments  won't  have  any  effect  this  time,  how 
ever." 

"Just  you  wait  and  see,"  Honoria  repeated 
enigmatically. 

They  had  to  ride   slowly  ;  for  the  lanes  and 


208  Her  Majesty. 

by-ways  to  which  Hugo  thought  it  safest  to  con 
fine  themselves  were  in  a  dreadful  condition. 
For  a  long  time  they  did  not  see  a  soul  except 
one  party  of  peasants  making  their  way  on  foot 
to  the  city,  to  see  if  the  dreadful  rumors  that 
reached  them  were  true.  After  they  had  rid^ 
den  about  five  miles,  they  stopped  at  a  little 
farm  house  that  looked  a  grade  more  promising 
than  any  they  had  passed,  and  got  some  goat's 
milk  and  black  bread  for  breakfast.  Hugo  was 
inclined  to  be  vexed  that  he  could  not  get  any 
thing  better  for  her,  but  Honoria  eat  their 
poor  fare  with  such  a  good  appetite,  and  ex 
pressed  such  pleasure  in  its  appropriateness  to 
their  situation  as  fugitives,  that  he  finally  got 
into  the  spirit  of  the  occasion  and  laughed  with 
her.  They  were  unquestioned  and  unobserved. 
All  the  more  intelligent  of  the  peasants  had 
gathered  together  in  the  little  villages  they 
took  such  pains  to  avoid. 

Towards  noon,  however,  they  had  a  fright. 
They  were  riding  at  a  footpace  along  a  narrow 
lane  when  they  heard  voices  and  saw  a  party 
of  soldiers  approaching.  Honoria  trembled, 
for  there  was  no  place  to  turn  aside,  and  she 
had  so  often  reviewed  various  regiments  of 


The  End  of  the  Beginning.        209 

soldiers  at  the  Capitol  that  her  face  was  well 
known  to  many  of  them.  Would  any  of  these 
recognize  her?  Perhaps  they  had  heard  of  her 
escape  and  were  on  the  look-out  for  her.  The 
soldiers  were  all  in  sympathy  with  the  people  ; 
it  was  in  this  that  the  latter's  power  had  lain. 
The  man  at  the  head  of  the  troop  pulled  up 
and  signed  to  them  to  do  the  same.  Honoria 
grew  pale  as  she  recognized  one  of  the  sergeants 
who  had  been  on  duty  at  the  Palace,  a  gruff 
surly  man,  who  had  always  scowled  when  she 
passed  him.  He  gave  her  a  curious,  significant 
look,  and  then  he  broke  into  a  rough  laugh  as 
he  addressed  her  with  a  : 

"  Why,  if  it  is  n't  Peter  Reinhart !  Well, 
Peter,  my  boy,  how  goes  it  ?  You  Ve  chosen 
a  funny  time  to  go  back  to  work.  All  well 
at  home  ?  If  this  isn't  the  best  joke  !  They 
telegraphed  us  at  the  next  garrison  to  come 
over  this  way  and  intercept  a  boy  and  a  man. 
Who  do  you  suppose  they  thought  you  were, 
Peter?" 

"  I  could  n't  guess,"  Honoria  answered,  in  her 
deepest  voice,  entering  into  the  spirit  of  the 
occasion. 

"  They  thought  you  were  the  Queen  running 


2io  Her  Majesty. 

away  !  "  and  then  he  laughed  again.  Honoria 
and  Hugo  joined  him. 

"  That  's  a  good  joke  !  "  exclaimed  Honoria. 
"  I  suppose  they  sent  you,  Sergeant  Brandt, 
because  you  were  so  long  on  duty  at  the  Pal 
ace  that  you'd  be  sure  to  recognize  Her  late 
Majesty.  Mother  told  me  to  look  out  for  you 
as  we  rode  through,  and  to  say  that  she  had 
some  feathers  she  was  curing  to  make  you  a 
pillow,  and  would  send  them  to  you  the  next 
time  I  came  this  way." 

"  Your  mother 's  a  fine  woman.  Well,  so 
long.  I  'd  like  to  stop  and  ask  you  about  all 
the  folks,  but  a  soldier's  time  is  not  his  own.  I 
suppose  you  don't  know  any  more  about  what 's 
going  on  over  there  than  we  do  ?  " 

They  drew  up  by  the  wayside  and  let  the 
soldiers  pass.  For  several  minutes,  Honoria 
could  hear  the  sergeant  laughing  and  talking 
to  his  men  about  the  good  joke  of  taking  little 
Peter  Reinhart,  whom  he  had  known  since  he 
was  so  high,  for  the  Queen. 

"  He's  not  half  her  size,"  was  the  last  thing 
she  heard  him  say.  Hugo  and  Honoria  ex 
changed  a  long  look  as  they  started  their  horses 
up. 


The  End  of  the  Beginning.        211 

"  He  's  a  trump  !  "  she  exclaimed,  drawing  a 
long  breath.  "  He  was  stationed  at  the  Palace 
all  last  winter.  I  was  so  afraid  you  would  say 
something,  Hugo,  when  he  called  me  'Peter* 
that  I  shook  all  over.  How  fortunate  it  was 
that  none  of  the  others  seemed  to  know  me." 

"  I  suppose  he  planned  it  all  out  in  case  it 
should  be  really  you,  and  found  out  that  they 
did  n't.  He  did  n't  look  quick-witted." 

"  I  should  say  not !  He  was  the  worst  actor 
I  ever  saw,  but  the  men  did  n't  seem  to  suspect 
anything.  I  never  saw  him  before  when  he 
was  n't  scowling.  I  should  think  his  good  spir 
its  alone  would  have  made  them  suspicious. 
Well,  Sergeant  Brandt,  you  Ve  done  a  good 
stroke  of  work  this  day." 

"  He  shall  hear  from  me  shortly,"  Hugo  de 
clared  emphatically.  "  His  fortune  is  made." 

They  had  no  further  adventures  after  this, 
although  it  was  dark  before  they  reached  Hel- 
men,  they  were  so  greatly  delayed  by  the  state 
of  the  roads,  and  the  detours  they  had  to  make 
to  avoid  villages  and  much  travelled  thorough 
fares.  Honoria's  high  spirits  had  left  her. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  are  very  tired,"  Hugo  said 
affectionately,  riding  up  close  to  her  and  laying 


2 1 2  Her  Majesty. 

his  hand  on  her  shoulder.  "  My  dear  girl,  I 
wish  I  could  have  spared  you  this." 

"  I  am  not  very  tired,"  she  answered.  "  You 
know  I  am  as  strong  as  a  horse.  You  need  n't 
feel  so  sorry  for  me  for  what  I  have  lost,  either, 
for,  you  see,  I  have  gained  still  more."  She 
stooped  her  head  and  kissed  his  fingers  lightly. 
"  I  feel  a  real  sense  of  relief,"  she  went  on,  a 
moment  later.  "You  know  I  have  never  really 
liked  social  or  labor  problems  as  you  do,  though 
I  have  always  thought  it  my  duty  to  study 
them  up.  It  is  a  relief  to  get  rid  of  that  awful 
sense  of  responsibility  I  have  had  ever  since  I 
was  crowned,  and  before,  too,  for  Madame  Du- 
valet  was  always  trying  to  make  me  realize  it. 
I  was  naturally  careless  and  happy-go-lucky  and 
fond  of  amusing  myself,  and  I  want  to  be  so 
again  for  a  while.  Of  course,  I  know  you 
would  never  be  contented  to  be  purely  idle 
and  frivolous  for  long,  and  I  should  n't  like  it 
if  you  were  ;  but  first  let  us  have  a  real  vacation, 
and  then  we  will  do  whatever  duty  seems 
nearest  to  us.  I  should  like  it  to  be  something 
for  our  people,  if  they  will  let  us.  Oh  dear,  I 
feel  ten  years  younger  !  " 

"  Very  well,  my  Queen.     I  shall  not  mind  a 


The  End  of  the  Beginning.        2 1 3 

holiday  myself.  I  shall  be  ten  years  younger 
when  I  get  you  over  the  frontier.  I  have  been 
in  such  a  continual  state  of  funk  all  day  that  I 
have  n't  been  able  to  think  of  the  future  at  all. 
I  can't  believe  that  you  are  really  going  to  be 
long  to  me,  and  that  we  shall  be  always  together. 
O  Nora,  you  told  me  once  that  I  did  n't  know 
what  loneliness  was.  I  have  learned  it  now.  I 
begin  to  breathe  more  easily.  Another  hun 
dred  yards  and  we  shall  be  over  the  border.  I 
know  our  passports  are  all  right.  Hello  there, 
guard  !  " 

A  soldier  came  out  of  a  sentry  box  with  a 
lantern. 

''Count  Waldeck,  is  it  you,  sir?" 

"  Yes,  and  I  have  my  cousin  with  me.  Here 
are  our  passports."  The  man  took  them  away 
to  show  to  his  Captain.  In  a  minute,  the  Cap 
tain,  a  young  man  with  a  red,  good-natured 
face,  came  out  himself. 

"  Ah,  Waldeck,"  he  said.  "  How  was  the 
country?  Is  it  really  true  that  the  Queen  is 
deposed  ?  We  have  had  all  sorts  of  reports, 
but  I  suppose  they  are  exaggerated." 

"  No  ;  they  are  all  true.  Queen  Honoria  has 
left  the  country,  they  say.  Tell  the  man  to  open 


2 1 4  Her  Majesty, 

the  gate  now  ;  that 's  a  good  fellow.  We  Ve  had 
a  long  ride,  and  the  roads  are  unspeakably  bad. 
I  '11  tell  you  all  you  want  to  know  to-morrow." 

The  heavy  gate  opened  with  a  clang,  and 
Queen  Honoria  rode  into  Helmen,  and  the 
danger  was  over.  Hugo  heaved  a  sigh  of  re 
lief. 

"  Thank  Heaven  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Now  I 
can  begin  to  enjoy  having  you  with  me.  I  shall 
take  you  to  the  convent  and  put  you  in  charge 
of  the  nuns  until  to-morrow,  and  you  can  try 
your  wiles  on  Father  Lalande." 

"  Dear  me !  What  will  he  say  to  these 
clothes  !  I  am  glad  he  will  know  what  has 
happened,  or  I  should  have  hard  work  persuad 
ing  him  I  did  n't  do  it  for  fun.  You  know  we 
are  great  friends  in  spite  of  our  religious  differ 
ences,  but  he  agrees  with  you  about  my  Satanic 
propensities." 

"  You  will  have  to  get  the  sisters  to  buy  you 
some  clothes  that  will  do  until  we  can  get  some 
others,"  said  Hugo.  "  I  will  give  them  some 
money.  I  would  have  had  some  ready  for  you, 
only  I  had  n't  the  remotest  idea  what  to  get, 
and  I  would  n't  trust  any  one  with  the  secret 
that  I  intended  to  elope  with  my  Queen.  I 


The  End  of  the  Beginning.        2 1 5 

hate  to  let  you  out  of  my  sight.  I  am  so  afraid 
Father  Lalande  will  spirit  you  away,  or  make 
you  promise  to  wait  a  year,  or  something." 

"  Trust  me,"  Honoria  said,  with  emphasis. 
"You  said  our  train  went  at  half-past  nine? 
Well,  come  at  eight  to-morrow  morning  with  a 
ring  in  your  waistcoat  pocket,  and  we  shall  see. 
I  don't  want  you  to  come  in  with  me.  I  want 
to  prepare  for  your  entrance  on  the  scene. 
Good-night,  my  dear  boy.  Go.  and  get  a  good 
night's  sleep.  I  am  sure  you  deserve  it."  He 
took  her  in  his  arms  for  a  moment,  then  watched 
her  mount  the  steps,  and,  after  a  little  talk  at 
the  grating,  disappear  within  the  convent,  her 
little  bundle  under  her  arm.  Then  he  turned 
slowly  away  and  led  his  tired  horses  down  the 
dark,  silent  street. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Queen  Honoria  sat  wait 
ing  for  Father  Lalande  in  the  reception-room 
that  was  separated  from  the  convent  proper  by 
an  iron  grating.  Beyond  this  no  males  were 
permitted  to  penetrate.  Father  Lalande's 
quarters  were  in  another  building,  with  a  sepa 
rate  entrance.  It  took  some  time  to  get  him, 
and  Honoria  was  so  tired  that  she  dropped  off 
to  sleep  in  her  straight  chair  several  times  be- 


2 1 6  Her  Majesty. 

fore  he  came.  The  last  time,  she  was  awakened 
by  hearing  a  familiar  voice  say : 

"  Well,  my  boy,  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?  I 
hear  you  have  come  to  me  on  urgent  business." 
Honoria  drowsily  opened  her  eyes,  then  took 
off  her  hat,  and  smiled. 

"  Your  Majesty  !  "  the  priest  exclaimed,  and 
kneeling  down,  he  took  her  hand  and  kissed  it. 

"  It  's  too  dirty,"  she  protested.  "  I  am  the 
Queen  no  longer,  Father  Lalande,  but  a  fugi 
tive.  Do  you  think  your  good  sisters  will  take 
me  in  for  the  night  ?  I  thought  I  had  better 
send  for  you  and  let  you  explain  matters.  They 
might  not  believe  me." 

"  They  will  consider  it  a  great  honor,  Your 
Majesty." 

"  Don't  call  me  that,"  she  begged.  "  And, 
please,  can't  I  go  to  bed  ?  "  The  good  father 
smiled. 

"  Immediately,  my  child.  But  would  n't  you 
like  some  supper?  " 

"  I  should  like  some  bread  and  milk  if  I  can 
have  it  after  I  go  to  bed— not  otherwise.  I  '11 
tell  you  all  about  everything  in  the  morning 
Father,"  and  leaning  her  head  against  the  wall, 
Honoria  was  sleeping  peacefully  by  the  time 


The  End  of  the  Beginning.         2 1 7 

Father  Lalande  had  reached  the  door.  She 
never  knew  exactly  what  happened  after  that, 
having  only  a  very  vague  recollection  of  the 
Mother  Superior  coming  in  and  telling  her 
she  was  very  welcome,  of  two  sisters  helping 
her  to  her  room  and  taking  off  her  clothes,  and 
the  next  thing  she  knew  it  was  broad  daylight. 
For  a  minute,  she  could  not  remember  where 
she  was.  The  white  walls  of  her  little  cell  and 
the  narrow  iron  bed  suggested  nothing  to  her, 
and  then  it  all  came  back  with  a  rush.  All  she 
had  lost  was  forgotten.  She  had  only  room 
for  the  thought  that  to-day  was  her  wedding- 
day,  and  that  she  and  Hugo  were  never  to  be 
separated  again.  Then  she  remembered  that 
she  had  not  even  spoken  to  Father  Lalande. 
She  rose  hastily,  bathed,  and  dressed  herself  in 
some  clothes  that  were  laid  by  her  bed.  The 
gown  was  a  strange-looking  affair  of  brown 
woolen,  and  evidently  made  for  different  pro 
portions  than  her  own.  It  was  long  enough, 
but  loose  and  tight  in  the  wrong  places.  Ho- 
noria  laughed  aloud  as  she  put  it  on.  She  cer 
tainly  did  not  look  much  like  a  bride.  She  was 
just  putting  the  finishing  touches  to  her  re 
markable  toilet,  when  a  sweet-faced  little  nun 


2  1 8  Her  Majesty. 

came  to  tell  her  that  Count  Waldeck  was  in 
the  outer  parlor. 

"Where  is  Father  Lalande?"  asked  the 
Queen. 

"  He  is  with  the  gracious  Count,  Madame," 
answered  the  little  nun.  Honoria  was  alarmed 
at  this  intelligence,  for  she  wanted  to  break  the 
news  to  the  worthy  father  herself,  having  had 
long  experience  in  the  art  of  managing  him. 

"  Well?  "  she  said  inquiringly,  as  she  entered 
the  parlor.  Hugo  gave  her  a  despairing 
look. 

"  I  am  sorry,  my  child,"  said  the  Priest,  "  but, 
much  as  I  respect  Count  Waldeck,  I  cannot  do 
it  ;  "  and  he  remained  fast  in  this  decision  in 
spite  of  all  the  arguments  which  Ilonoria,  sec 
onded  by  Count  Waldeck,  brought  forward  to 
show  that  it  was  the  only  thing  to  do.  At  last 
the  Queen  grew  openly  impatient.  She  turned 
to  the  Count : 

"  Hugo,  will  you  go  out  into  the  passage  for 
a  minute.  I  wish  to  speak  to  Father  Lalande 
alone."  He  obediently  left  the  room.  In  a 
minute  or  two,  she  called  him  back. 

"Have  you  remembered  the  ring?"  she 
asked.  "  You  know  we  have  n't  very  much 


The  End  of  the  Beginning.        2 1 9 

time."  Ten  minutes  later,  Her  Majesty  was 
Countess  Waldeck. 

It  was  not  till  several  weeks  later  that  Count 
Waldeck  discovered  what  his  wife's  mysterious 
pull  had  been.  She  had  refused  to  tell,  saying 
that  it  was  a  political  secret  that  was  not  her 
own  to  communicate.  At  last,  one  evening  at 
Paris  when  they  were  driving  in  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne,  the  Count  became  so  troublesome 
that  the  Countess  agreed  to  satisfy  his  curi 
osity. 

"You  will  be  dreadfully  disappointed,"  she 
said,  with  a  smile.  "  Besides,  I  should  think  you 
would  be  ashamed  to  be  so  curious,  Hugo  :  it 's 
so  womanish.  I  am  a  little  ashamed  to  tell 
you,  too."  Hugo  laughed. 

"Well,  are  you  going  to  tell  me?"  he  asked. 

"  It  was  only  a  threat,  you  must  remember, 
but  all 's  fair  in  this  sort  of  thing,  so  I  told  him 
I  would  dispense  with  the  ceremony  if  he 
did  n't.  You  see,  he  could  n't  keep  me  there 
by  force  exactly,  and  he  thought  it  was  another 
Satanic  propensity.  Dear  me,  Hugo,  don't 
laugh  so  !  You  are  making  us  so  conspicuous. 
Everybody  is  looking  at  us." 

"  I  can't  help  it,"  he  murmured  feebly.     "  So 


22O  Her  Majesty. 

that  was  your  great  political  pull  over  Father 
Lalande  !  My  dear  Honoria,  I  bow  before  the 
greatness  of  your  intellect.  I  begin  to  think 
Greer  is  quite  right  about  your  amazing  clever 
ness.  To  get  ahead  of  a  Jesuit  in  that  simple 
manner !  " 

Thirteen  months  after  this,  two  young  men, 
who  were  riding  in  the  park  in  London,  came 
face  to  face,  recognized  each  other,  and  pulled 
up  their  horses. 

"  Hello,  Stanton." 

"  How  are  you,  Greer.  I  suppose  you  've 
heard  the  news  about  Waldeck  and  Her 
Majesty  ?  " 

"  I  heard  they  had  been  allowed  to  return 
home." 

"  Oh,  that 's  ancient  history  !  This  is  the  very 
latest.  It  seems  the  people  are  tired  of  trying 
to  rule  themselves,  and  they  have  invited  them 
to  do  it  for  them.  Hugo  and  Honoria  the  First, 
God  bless  them  !  " 

"  Is  he  to  be  King  and  not  Prince  Consort  ?  " 

"  You  bet  he  is,  as  you  would  say.  Her  Ma 
jesty  would  n't  hear  of  anything  else.  All  the 
royal  proclamations  are  to  be  signed  '  Hugo  and 


The  End  of  the  Beginning.          2  2  i 

Honoria,'  and  they  are  to  go  down  to  history 
so.  And  they  are  going  to  give  the  people  a 
constitution  and  establish  a  senate,  and  make  a 
limited  monarchy  out  of  the  concern,  when 
they  might  run  the  whole  thing  themselves !  '* 

"  Good  for  them  !  "  exclaimed  Greer. 
"  They  're  the  right  stuff." 

"The  jolliest  girl  I  ever  knew,"  Lord  Alfred 
said  sadly,  "  and  to  think  of  her  charms  being 
wasted  over  such  things.  She  '11  get  as  bad  as 
Waldy  with  his  good-government  clubs  and  all 
that  sort  of  tommy-rot.  Really,  Waldy  was  a 
very  decent  fellow  when  you  got  him  out  of 
the  mire,  but  I  suppose  he  's  in  to  stay  now. 
R.  I.  P." 

"  You  heathen  !  "  Mr.  Greer  exclaimed.  "  I 
wish  you  had  gone  to  America  with  us  last  au 
tumn.  Would  n't  you  have  enjoyed  it  !  We 
talked  Political  Economy  and  Social  Science 
all  the  time." 

"  Excuse  me  !  Besides,  I  don't  believe  it. 
No  man  in  his  senses  would  talk  more  than  a 
very  limited  amount  of  that  stuff  to  that  ador 
able  woman.  I  '11  wager  Waldeck  never  men 
tioned  it  when  he  got  her  alone,  and  I  'm  sure 
you  did  n't.  By  the  way,  Greer,  how  dread- 


222  Her  Majesty. 

fully  detrop  you  and  the  rest  of  them  must  have 
been.  I  should  think  they  'd  have  wanted  to 
pitch  you  overboard."  Mr.  Greer  took  no 
notice  of  these  remarks. 

"  When  you  go  to  visit  them,  I  think  you 
will  have  your  eyes  opened  a  little,  my  young 
friend.  They  will  make  the  kind  of  king  and 
queen  you  read  about.  Well,  good-by." 


THE   END. 


THE  BOOK  AND  THE  PLAY. 

A  WAVE  of  healthful  reaction  has  reached 
our  stage  —  a  mere  ripple  of  a  wave, 
perhaps,  but  one  that  we  trust  will  not 
recede.  One  season  ago,  and  the  play  whose 
chief  stock-in-trade  was  a  certain  catering  to 
the  unclean  was  disagreeably  preponderant. 
This  year  that  play  is  the  exception.  None  is 
quicker  than  the  theatrical  manager  to  act 
upon — if  possible  to  anticipate — a  change  in 
the  public  taste.  As  a  result,  we  have  pre 
sented  to  us  this  season  a  succession  of  healthy, 
old-fashioned  romances,  where  love  and  ad 
venture  hold  the  boards,  and  the  jaundiced 
;<  problem  "  finds  no  place. 

The  same  public  sentiment  which  called  for 
a  cleaner  stage  has  made  possible  the  wide 
popularity  and  remarkable  sales  of  some  of  our 
recent  American  novels — tales  of  love  and  ad 
venture,  with  their  fair  heroines  and  invincible 
heroes  and  villains  inevitably  foiled.  Though 
223 


224  Her  Majesty. 

the  machinations  of  the  villain  are  incredible  if 
you  will,  the  heroes  too  noble  and  the  maidens 
too  fair,  yet  the  love  is  pure,  the  adventures 
give  you  pleasant  thrills,  and  the  after-taste  in 
your  mouth  is  a  sweet  one. 

When  the  whims  of  the  novel-reading  and 
the  theatre-going  public  happen  to  coincide, 
then  dramatization  waxes  fast  and  furious. 

Ever  since  its  publication,  the  dramatists 
had  an  eye  upon  Her  Majesty,  and  the  dramatic 
rights  were  finally  secured  by  J.  I.  C.  Clarke, 
editor,  until  recently,  of  The  Criterion.  Mr. 
Clarke  is  an  experienced  and  clever  dramatist, 
and  the  material  placed  in  his  hands  was  ex 
cellently  adapted  to  the  making  of  a  popular 
play  of  the  new  order.  The  result  is  all  that  it 
should  be,  and  the  play,  admirably  staged,  is 
now  being  presented  under  the  management 
of  Mr.  William  A.  Brady.  There  is  plenty 
of  excitement  ;  some  bloodshed  (behind  the 
scenes);  a  popular  revolution;  a  lover  ardent 
enough  to  satisfy  the  most  fastidious;  and, 
above  all,  a  heroine  who,  to  add  to  her  delight 
ful  knack  at  getting  safely  out  of  a  very  tight 
place,  is  well  worth  loving.  One  more  factor 
—  a  most  essential  one  —  was  needed  to  insure 


The  Book  and  the  Play.  225 

the  play's  success.  This  has  been  secured  in 
the  person  of  Miss  Grace  George,  whose  de 
lightful  personality  has  turned  the  story-book 
heroine  into  a  princess  indeed. 

Elizabeth  Knight  Tompkins,  the  author  who 
has  made  all  this  success  possible,  has  several 
delightful  stories  to  her  credit,  the  greater  num 
ber  of  them  appearing  since  the  publication 
of  Her  Majesty.  Her  first  literary  achievement 
was  a  short  story,  entitled  The  Sharpness  of 
Death,  which  appeared  in  Scribners  Magazine 
some  eight  years  ago.  Her  latest  successes, 
Talks  with  Barbara  and  Things  that  Count, 
have  just  been  published,  and  indicate  the 
steady  progress  she  is  making  in  her  art. 
Since  Miss  Tompkins's  graduation  from  Vas- 
sar  in  1889,  s^e  ^as  travelled  much,  and  gained 
an  experience  that  stands  her  in  good  stead  in 
her  literary  work.  Her  favorite  resting-place 
is  a  certain  California  ranch,  where  the  accom 
panying  snap-shot  found  her,  in  company  with 
her  pets. 

B.  J. 


^uigttt 


THE  THINGS  THAT  COUNT 

Hudson  Library,  No.  43.  12°,  paper,  50  cts.;  cloth, 
$1.00. 

In  her  well-known  graphic  style,  Miss  Tompkins  has  made  a  strong 
and  vivid  study  of  a  character  hitherto  not  delineated  in  American 
fiction.  Her  heroine  is  an  indolent  young  woman  of  small  means, 
who  lives  by  visiting  the  houses  of  wealthy  friends.  The  story  of  her 
regeneration  through  her  affection  for  a  man  of  strong  character  is 
cleverly  told. 

TALKS  WITH  BARBARA 

Being  an  Informal  and  Experimental  Discussion,  from 
the  Point  of  View  of  a  Young  Woman  of  To-morrow, 
of  Certain  of  the  Complexities  of  Life,  Particularly 
in  Regard  to  the  Relations  of  Men  and  Women. 

12°,  $1.50. 

"  These  speculations  about  many  things  of  present  interest  are 
well  worth  reading,  for  they  are  bright,  original,  felicitously  set 
forth,  and,  above  all,  suggestive." — Ar.  Y.  Mail  and  Express. 

HER  MAJESTY 

A  Romance  of  To-Day.  Hudson  Library,  No.  6.  12°, 
paper,  50  cts.;  cloth,  $1.00. 

"Nothing  was  ever  more  realistic  than  this  entirely  ideal  story, 

and  the  romance  is  as  artistic  as  the  realism The  story 

is  bright  and  full  of  life,  and  there  is  an  alertness  in  the  style  as 
charming  as  its  sympathy." — The  Evangelist. 

THE  BROKEN  RING 

Hudson  Library,   No.   15.      12°,  paper,  50    cts.;    cloth, 

$1.00. 

"  A  romance  of  war  and  love  in  royal  life,  pleasantly  written  and 
cleverly  composed  for  melodramatic  effect  in  the  end." — Independent. 

AN  UNLESSONED  GIRL 

A  Story  of  School  Life.     With  frontispiece.     12°,  $1.25. 

"This  story  of  the  development  of  a  bright  but  self-conscious, 
affected  and  ambitious  girl,  under  the  discipline  of  school  life,  is  far 
above  the  average  of  literary  merit.  The  analysis  of  character  and 
motives  is  acute,  the  personages  seem  real,  and  the  talk  has  the  light 
and  easy  touch  which  makes  it  natural." — Christian  Intelligencer. 


IRew  ^fiction* 


Agatha  Webb. 

By  ANNA  KATHARINE  GREEN,  author  of  "  The  Leaven- 
worth  Case,"  "That  Affair  Next  Door,"  etc.  12°, 
cloth,  $1.25. 

"This  is  a  cleverly  concocted  detective  story,  and  sustains  the  well 
earned  reputation  of  the  writer.  .  .  .  The  curiosity  of  the  reader  is  excited 
and  sustained  to  the  close.'' — Brooklyn  Citizen. 

1  Agatha  Webb  is  as  Intensely  interesting  a  detective  story  as  war 
"The  Leaven  worth  Case,"  and  when  that  is  said,  no  higher  compliment  can 
be  given  it." — Omaha  World-Herald. 

Children  of  the  Mist. 

By  EDEN  PHILLPOTTS.    15  th  impression.     8°,  $1.50 

"A  work  of  amazing  power  which  plainly  indicates  a  master  hand." — Bos 
ton  Herald. 

"  Seldom  does  a  critic  come  upon  a  book  that  he  can  praise  more  heartily 
than  he  can  Eden  Phillpotts's  new  romance, — it  is  so  full  of  life,  so  full  of 
the  subtle  and  strong  influence  of  environment  upon  character,  that  it  leaves 
upon  the  mind  that  unity  of  impression  which  is  one  of  the  highest  attributes  of 
a  work  of  art." — London  Daily  News, 

Miss  Cayley's  Adventures. 

By  GRANT  ALLEN,  author  of  "  Flowers  and  Their  Pediv 
grees,"  etc.  With  80  illustrations.  3d  edition.  12°, 
$1.50. 

"One  of  the  most  delightfully  jolly,  entertaining,  and  fascinating 

works  that  has  ever  come  from  Grant  Allen's  pen." — New  York  World. 

"A  quaint  and  sparkling  story — bright  and  entertaining  from  beginning  to 
end." — Chicago  Times-Herald. 

"  Perfectly  delightful  from  start  to  finish  .  .  .  bubbles  with  wit  and 
humor.  .  .  .  Miss  Cayley's  adventures  are  simply  bewitching."— Seattle  In* 
telligtncer. 

Dr.  Berkeley's  Discovery. 

By  RICHARD  SLEE  and  CORNELIA  ATWOOD  PRATT. 
Hudson  Library,  No.  40.  12°,  paper,  50  cts.  ;  cloth, 
$1.00 

Dr.  Berkeley's  discovery  is  a  liquid  which  will  "  devefop"  certain 
memory  cells  of  the  human  brain,  as  a  photographer's  chemicals 
"develop  "  a  sensitized  plate.  Upon  each  tiny  cell  appears  a  picture, 
visible  by  the  microscope.  By  "developing"  the  memory  centre  of 
a  brain,  Dr.  Berkeley  can  trace  the  most  secret  history  of  the  being 
that  owned  the  brain  ;  can  see  the  things  the  being  saw,  in  sequence, 
from  infancy  to  death.  With  this  foundation,  the  authors  of  "Dr. 
Berkeley's  Discovery  "  have  told  a  thrilling,  dramatic  story. 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS,  NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON. 


Bew  ^fiction 

SMITH    BRUNT 

United  States  Navy.  By  WALDRON  K.  POST,  autho* 
of  "  Harvard  Stories,"  etc.  12°,  459  pages,  $1.50. 

"A  rattling  good  story  of  the  Old  Navy.  .  .  .  The  book 
recalls  Harry  Gringo  by  its  breadth  and  interest  of  plot ;  which 
means  it  is  a  first-class  sea  story.  It  is  not  an  imitation,  however. 
.  .  .  The  prevailing  thought  of  the  book  is  the  unity  of  aims, 
ideals  and  race  between  Englishmen  and  Americans,  and  this  idea  is 
brought  out  so  well  that,  even  though  the  reader  enjoys  the  story  of 
the  fierce  sea-fights,  he  deplores  the  shedding  of  blood  by  brothers' 
hands." — Buffalo  Express. 

BEARERS  OF  THE  BURDEN 

Being  Stories  of  Land  and  Sea.     By  Major  W.  P. 

DRURY,  Royal  Marines.     12°,  286  pages,  $1.00. 
"  Major  Drury's  stories  combine  pathos  and  humor  with  an  under 
lying  earnestness  that  betrays  a  clear  moral  vision.      The  whole 
volume  is  of  a  rare  and  wholesome  quality." — Chicago  Tribune. 

ROSALBA 

The  Story  of  Her  Development.  By  OLIVE  PRATT 
RAYNER  (Grant  Allen),  author  of  "Flowers  and 
Their  Pedigrees,"  etc.  Hudson  Library,  No.  39. 
12°,  396  pages,  paper,  50  cts.  ;  cloth,  $1.00. 

41 A  story  which  holds  the  reader  with  profound  interest  to  the 
closing  lines." — Chicago  Inter-Ocean. 

ABOARD  "  THE  AMERICAN  DUCHESS  " 

By  HEADON  HILL.  Hudson  Library,  No.  41.  12°, 
paper,  50  cts. ;  cloth,  $1.00. 

NOTE. — This  is  a  reprint  of  a  work  previously  published  under  the  title  of 
"  Queen  of  the  Night  " — with  certain  changes  of  names. 

"  He  has  certainly  given  to  the  reading  public  a  capital  story  full 
of  action.  It  is  a  bright  novel  and  contains  many  admirable  chap 
ters.  Life  on  the  ocean  is  well  depicted,  many  exciting  episodes 
are  well  told,  and  it  will  interest  readers  of  all  classes." — Knoxville 
Sentinel. 

THE  PRIEST'S  MARRIAGE 

By  NORA  VYNNE,  author  of  "  The  Blind  Artist's  Picture," 
etc.  Hudson  Library,  No.  42.  12°,  paper,  50  cts.  ; 
cloth,  $1.00. 

"The  subject  is  worked  out  in  a  most  interesting  manner  with 
admirable  taste  and  more  admirable  art.  The  character  drawing  is 
unusually  good." — Saturday  Evening  Gazette,  Boston. 


Emm  fuller 


A  LITERARY  COURTSHIP 

Under  the  Auspices  of  Pike's  Peak.  Printed  on  deckel 
edged  paper,  with  illustrations.  25th  edition.  16°,  gilt 
top  .  .  $1.25 

"  A  delightful  little  love  story.  Like  her  other  books  it  is  bright  and 
breezy  ;  its  humor  is  crisp  and  the  general  idea  decidedly  original.  It  is 
just  the  book  to  slip  into  the  pocket  for  a  journey,  when  one  does  not  care 
for  a  novel  or  serious  reading." — Boston  Times. 

A  VENETIAN  JUNE 

Illustrated  by  George  Sloane.  Printed  on  deckel  edged  paper. 
1 2th  edition.  16°,  gilt  top  .....  $1.25 

"A  Venetian  June  bespeaks  its  material  by  its  title  and  very  full  the 
little  story  is  of  the  picturesqueness,  the  novelty,  the  beauty  of  life  in  the 
city  of  gondolas  and  gondoliers — a  strong  and  able  work  showing  serious 
ness  of  motive  and  strength  of  touch." — Literary  World. 

The  above  two  voh  together  in  box $2.50 

PRATT  PORTRAITS 

Sketched  in  a  New  England  Suburb.  i4th  edition.  With 
13  full-page  illustrations  by  George  Sloane.  8°,  gilt 
top $1.50 

"  The  lines  the  author  cuts  in  her  vignette  are  sharp  and  clear,  but  she 
has,  too,  not  alone  the  knack  of  color,  but  what  is  rarer,  the  gift  of 
humor."- — New  York  Times. 

PEAK  AND  PRAIRIE 

From  a  Colorado  Sketch=Book.  With  16  full-page  illustra 
tions.  16°,  gilt  top  ......  $1.25 

"We  may  say  that  the  jaded  reader  fagged  with  the  strenuous  art  of  the 
passing  hour,  who  chances  to  select  this  volume  to  cheer  the  hours,  will 
throw  up  his  hat  for  sheer  joy  at  having  hit  upon  a  book  in  which  morbid 
ness  and  self-consciousness  are  conspicuous  by  their  absence."— New  York 
Times. 

ONE  OF  THE  PILGRIMS 
A  Bank  Story.     12°,  gilt  top $1.25 

"  The  story  is  graceful  and  delightful,  full  of  vivacity,  and  is  not  without 
pathos.  It  is  thoroughly  interesting  and  well  worthy  of  a  place  with  Miss 
Fuller's  other  books." — Congregationalist. 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS,  NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 

— . 

MAR    151948 


LD  21-100m-9,'47(A5702sl6)476 


JIIN    «  1918 


GCT  10  1983 


MAR    1  5 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  LIBRARY 


